UFC light heavyweight veteran Anthony Smith has revealed the actions that resulted in him flipping off a fan moments after a crushing loss in his retirement fight.
Smith made the walk to the Octagon for the final time at this weekend’s UFC Fight Night in Kansas City. While “Lionheart” had no doubt hoped to exit the sport on a high, Zhang Mingyang provided a hurdle too tall in that regard.
The Chinese standout maintained his 100 percent first-round finishing rate with a dominant performance in Missouri. But his emphatic display and the conclusion of Smith’s career weren’t the only talking points.
In the immediate aftermath of the TKO stoppage, a bloodied Smith could be seen angrily gesturing toward a fan in the crowd. During the UFC Kansas City Post Show, the 36-year-old explained what got him so riled up.
“There was a guy in a Nebraska shirt and he was like booing me and flipping me off and kind of talking trash before the fight,” Anthony Smith said. “But I was really focused on what I had to do. Then after the fight, his friend is cheering and he’s still flipping me off and saying some pretty disrespectful things.
“I was so mad. He was wearing a Nebraska shirt! We’re supposed to be family here. It’s not a very big community of people here,” Smith continued. “Mingyang is like, ‘Don’t do this brother, you’ve got to quit that.’ Listen, I was emotional. The fight didn’t go the way I wanted it to go. That is what it is. That’s just part of the game. … If you’re sitting in the crowd, you’re definitely not doing what I’m doing, especially wearing a Nebraska shirt. You can’t talk trash wearing a Nebraska shirt! Like, come on now!”
