After his loss to Zhang Mingyang at UFC Kansas City, Anthony Smith entered retirement. However, immediately following the bout, he appeared ready for another confrontation.
While medical staff attended to a severe cut on his head that bled profusely during the fight, Smith was clearly enraged, raising both middle fingers towards someone sitting near the cage. He continued this gesture multiple times, eventually getting off the canvas to approach the cage and shout at the individual.
Speaking on the UFC Kansas City post-fight broadcast, Smith clarified the reason for his extreme agitation, which made him appear ready to postpone retirement for another impromptu skirmish.
Smith explained:
There was a guy wearing a Nebraska shirt who was booing me, flipping me off, and talking trash even before the fight. I was focused on my task, though. But after the fight, while his friend was cheering, this guy was still giving me the finger and saying really disrespectful things.
Smith continued:
I was furious. He was in a Nebraska shirt! We`re supposed to be like family in this state. It`s not a huge community!
Smith, who lives in Omaha, Nebraska, has always proudly represented his home state. Seeing a fan in a Nebraska shirt simultaneously heckling him particularly upset him. Combined with the emotional weight of losing his retirement fight, Smith acknowledged that anger and rage momentarily took over.
Zhang Mingyang actually approached the cage to restrain Smith, sensing he was on the verge of potentially jumping the fence to confront the disruptive fan.
Smith recounted:
Mingyang was telling me, “Don`t do this, brother, you need to stop.” Look, I was emotional. The fight didn`t finish how I`d hoped. That`s how it goes, it`s just part of the sport.
He added:
I just couldn`t fathom it. I dedicate my heart and soul to this sport. I don`t mind if you think I`m not good, but if you`re in the stands, you`re certainly not doing what I`m doing, especially while wearing a Nebraska shirt. You absolutely cannot talk trash while wearing a Nebraska shirt! Seriously! That was the whole issue.
Regarding Saturday night marking the end of his fighting career, Smith admitted he was still processing the finality of it all.
Perhaps the most challenging part of transitioning into retirement was the realization that there would be no “next fight,” a concept he hadn`t contemplated in almost 20 years.
Smith commented:
It feels strange. I`m accustomed to fighting, and win or lose, you always move on to the next thing. You run through your mental Rolodex: I lost, so I need to find this opponent, chase that ranking. If you win, you look ahead. Now, there`s nothing else.
He concluded:
So I refuse to let myself be sad. I don`t think I`m entitled to be sad. It`s been a significant journey. I started this at 17 and will be 37 soon. I`ve achieved enough. I built my life based on what I could do in this sport, and it gave me opportunities I never would have had otherwise. I`m making myself feel happy about what happened, not sad that it`s finished.
