MMA Fighter Anthony Smith Arrested in Nebraska on Three Felony Charges
Former UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith was arrested in Nebraska on charges including terroristic threats, false imprisonment, and domestic violence. The domestic violence charge alone carries up to 20 years in prison.
Former UFC Contender Anthony Smith Faces Serious Criminal Charges in Nebraska
Former UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith was arrested on Monday on three felony charges in his home state of Nebraska, sports.yahoo.com reports.
According to TMZ, the 38-year-old faces charges of terroristic threats, false imprisonment in the first degree, and domestic violence causing serious bodily injury. The domestic violence charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while each of the remaining two charges carries a maximum of three years.
As of the time of reporting, Smith has not appeared before a judge and no bond has been set.
The arrest puts on hold his role as an analyst at the UFC, a position he took on after his retirement from the promotion in 2025. Smith compiled an overall record of 13 wins and 12 losses across two stints in the UFC.
Smith made his professional MMA debut in 2008 and competed across various organisations in the United States before first joining the UFC in 2013, where he lost by submission to Antonio Braga Neto and was subsequently released. He returned to the promotion in 2016 following a successful run in Bellator MMA and on the regional circuit.
His second UFC tenure proved far more productive. Victories over Rashad Evans, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, and Volkan Oezdemir in 2018 earned him a light heavyweight title shot against champion Jon Jones in 2019. Smith lost by decision, though the fight was complicated by an illegal knee delivered while he was on the ground — a foul that would have handed him the belt via disqualification had he chosen not to continue. He elected to fight on and lost the round-by-round verdict.
Smith holds 61 professional bouts in total. Most recently, he defeated Chase Sherman in his debut for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, a comeback fight following his UFC retirement earlier in 2025.
Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)