Former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith faces 3 felony charges, including domestic violence, after he was arrested in Nebraska.
Sarpy County (Nebraska) authorities arrested former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith on Monday night on terroristic threats, first-degree false imprisonment, and domestic violence felony charges.
TMZ was the first to report the news of Smith’s arrest.
As of this writing, the exact details surrounding Smith’s arrest in Nebraska haven’t been publicized. If convicted, Smith faces up to 20 years in prison.
Anthony Smith is the latest former UFC standout to run into legal trouble
Smith retired from the UFC following a first-round loss to Mingyang Zhang at UFC Kansas City last year. He returned to combat sports in April under Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA banner, submitting former UFC heavyweight Chase Sherman.
Smith debuted in the UFC in February 2016, earning a unanimous decision win over Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes in a middleweight bout. He made the move to light heavyweight at UFC 225, knocking out former champion Rashad Evans in 53 seconds.
Smith went on to earn wins over Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Volkan Oezdemir before a loss to then-UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones at UFC 235. While Smith would go on to earn wins over the likes of Alexander Gustafsson and Ryan Spann, he failed to recapture his earlier light heavyweight magic.
Smith’s arrest comes just weeks after fellow UFC retiree Dustin Poirier was arrested on a ‘public intoxication’ charge in Atlanta. Poirier has publicly committed to sobriety and has taken full responsibility for the now-viral incident.
As of this writing, neither Smith nor his team has issued public comment on the former title challenger’s arrest.
This is a developing story, and we’ll update you on Smith’s arrest as new details become available.
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