After nearly two decades of his MMA career, Anthony Smith has finally called it quits, and has now officially retired. For the last fight of his career, Smith took on Zhang Mingyang, and it was a one-sided match to saw the least. The two faced each other for the co-main event at UFC Kansas City, and it marked Smith’s 60th fight in his MMA career. Smith is a former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, sits now with a 38-22 record, and was on a 2 fight losing streak, prior to the Mingyang fight. Meanwhile Zhang was on a 11-fight win streak, with all first-round finishes, including knockouts of Ozzy Diaz, and Brendson Ribeiro. <\/p>
The fight ended quickly and decisively. Zhang dominated from the start. He opened a severe cut on Smith’s head causing significant bleeding that caused a lot of problem for Smith, especially with his visibility now compromised. Zhang continued to assault Smith with a barrage of ground elbows, promoting the official to stop the fight. While Zhang improved his record to 19-6, Smith retired following his third-straight loss. Smith’s retirement decision comes after the death of his longtime coach, Scott Morton, and he admitted that the demise influenced his transition out of professional fighting.<\/p>