Vers of five rounds with Jon Jones, Anthony Smith has set the highlight of his UFC career in 2019.
Last weekend the 60-Fight MMA veteran marked the end of his run in the Octagon, who decided to retire in the CO-Main event of UFC Kansas City.
Unfortunately, Smith unfortunately went out on his shield and a bloody TKO loss on Mingyang Zhang, a Chinese Finisher who shoots directly to the top of the light heavyweight division.
Smith's pension fight came with mixed reactions. The UFC world paid Smith to Smith with a pension video, while others like Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor kicked him while he was down.
The 35-year-old may not have had a hall of fame-worthy career in the UFC, but he had his moments, including back-to-back victories over former UFC champions and an eternal competition that pushed Jon Jones to the absolute Rink.
Only three months away from his title fighting loss for Jon Jones on UFC 235, a fight that he could have won by disqualification, but chose not, 'Lionheart' was in a different main event, this time in enemy territory.
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Anthony Smith took off Alexander Gustafsson in their first fight after Jon Jones
In June 2019, Smith was booked against the former UFC title -Uitdager Alexander Gustafsson in his backyard of Stockholm, Sweden.
Gustafsson is best known for his five -round war with Jon Jones in 2013 in a title fight that many believe that the Swede had won on points in the first 3 rounds.
However, the jury members did not see it that way and scored the fight in favor of Jones, despite the lead of Gustafsson in the number of stakes.
Gustafsson was 32 years old at the time, the #2 light heavyweight in the world that Jones lost in their long -awaited Rematch on UFC 232 a few months earlier. In the opposite corner, Smith went into the fight as a 2-on-1 underdog, immediately put pressure on Gustafsson.
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In three rounds, Smith was able to tag Gustafsson with shots and even broke his hand. Gustafsson also had his moments on the feet and fights for a decent third round.
However, the tide quickly returned the championship rounds. Just over a minute in round 4, Smith took Gustafsson to the ground and grabbed his back masterfully.
Smith landing elbows of the top, has broken down Gustafsson before he locked a choke. Within 7 seconds, Gustafsson tapped and walked his second loss of submission in the Octagon.
Gustafsson threw down his gloves after the fight and meant what a short-lived MMA pension would be if the Swede returned a year later.
Alexander Gustafsson gave Jon Jones a point for his money in 2013
Gustafsson may not have been a former champion on Smith's CV, such as Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua or Rashad Evans, but at that time the 32-year-old had only lost Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis and the late Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson.
GustaFsson was the very first hunter who dropped Jon Jones in the UFC and defended 10 of the 11 Takedowns of his greatest rival, making Smith's finish on the ground all the more impressive.
'The Mauler' also pulled the first blood against Jones in their first title fight on UFC 165, which made him run away in total main strikes.
Jones found his foot in the championship rounds, almost finishing Gustafsson with rotating elbows in round 4 and him on the ropes in round 5.
Despite his best efforts, Gustafsson lost in a controversial split decision in which one judge scored the fight 4 rounds to 1 for Jones.
UFC commentator Mike Goldberg, who called Jones a lot of Jones, says that Gustafsson was still the most difficult test of Jon Jones' -an achievement that can still hold when the world is waiting for the UFC Heavyweight Champion with interim champion Tom AspoLL.
Only a few hunters have come near Jones over the years, such as Vitor Belfort, Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes.