It was a hard night at the office for Anthony Smith at UFC on ESPN+ 29, and he’s going to be feeling the impact of it for a while.
Smith (32-15 MMA, 8-5 UFC) took arguably the most damage-filled loss of his career Wednesday when he succumbed to a fifth-round TKO from Glover Teixeira (31-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) in the light heavyweight headliner, which took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
The former title challenger has lost two of three fights, and having suffered a broken nose, broken orbital bone and other injuries, “Lionheart” is going to have to sit on this outcome for a while before he’s healthy enough to return to the octagon.
Fortunately, he’s still a top contender at 205 pounds, and the loss may have perfectly aligned the stars for a rematch with Thiago Santos (21-7 MMA, 13-6 UFC), who beat Smith in a thrilling “Fight of the Night” battle at UFC Fight Night 125 in February 2018.
What’s next for Smith after UFC on ESPN+ 29? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future.
