Apr 26, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, UNITED STATES; Anthony Smith (red gloves) prepares to fight Zhang Mingyang (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images

uncategorized

Anthony Smith had a chance at the UFC gold against Jon Jones but chose honor over pity

Get to know all about what happened when Anthony Smith challenged Jon Jones for the title in UFC.

Anthony Smith has also declared his retirement as a MMA fighter, following his last fight on April 26, 2025. Nicknamed “Lionheart”, this Light Heavyweight division fighter had gone to war and bested the likes of Rashad Evans, Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander Gustaffson.

However, one of Anthony Smith’s notable fights was against Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight title in 2019. This was one of the best fights in Anthony Smith’s career, despite it not going the way he intended. So, what went down in the fight between these two veteran MMA fighters?

Anthony Smith ended his fight against Jon Jones with honor

Anthony Smith and Jon Jones engaged in a light Heavyweight fight at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019. Jon Jones was the Light Heavyweight Champion while Anthony Smith was the challenger for the title (via UFC Europe on X)-

Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith at #UFC235 right now!!

Who you got? pic.twitter.com/i4ga07josi
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) March 3, 2019

Both Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and Jon “Bones” Jones gave all their effort in the fight. Smith did not back down and fought back despite receiving an elbow to his nose from his opponent. Moreover, Smith also remained dominant on his feet for most of the match. Unfortunately, he had to endure an illegal knee from the champion during the fourth round. This cost the champion two points from Herb Dean, the referee of the fight.

This is where Anthony Smith proved that he is a true “Lionheart” by nature. He opted to end the fight with honor rather than taking a DQ win by pity. Unfortunately, it was still Jon Jones who retained his Light Heavyweight title in Round 5. However, Anthony Smith was praised for his honor throughout the fight.

Anthony Smith’s MMA career

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith has had a long MMA career from Bellator MMA to Strikeforce to the UFC. He has achieved a MMA career 38-22-0 before retiring on April 26, 2025.

Anthony Smith’s UFC career spanned from 2013 to 2015 and he gained a record of 13-12-0 from UFC alone. Before that, he had a 2-2-0 career with Strikeforce and a 2-0-0 career with Bellator MMA as per Tapology. The “Lionheart” can now enjoy a well earned rest and life away from the Octagon since his retirement on April 26, 2025.

Anthony Smith

Jon Jones

MMA

UFC

UFC 235

Arka Mukherjee

mlb

mma

wrestling

I’m a sports content writer focusing on MMA, WWE and MLB writer at The Playoffs. I have a Master’s degree in Media Science (M.Sc) from my college The Heritage Academy. I got into the sports industry through my previous company where I worked from 2023 to March 2025. I’m a fan of combat sports like pro wrestling and MMA. My favorite part about working at The Playoffs is speculating what can be happening in WWE, especially face-heel turns and results of matches.