Anthony Smith came out a top candidate in the light heavyweight division by eliminating two of his legendary champions.
Former UFC title Challenger Anthony Smith is ready to make his 59th walk to the Octagon this Saturday in what his pension fight will be against the Chinese Ko artist Mingyang Zhang in UFC Kansas City.
Smith turned 37 in July and fought the best in the world for years and was against five title champions, three former champions and two current champions in Magomed Ankalaev and Jon Jones, whom he could have taken the title by disqualification after an illegal knee but decided not to do it.
'Lionheart' earned his shot at the then light heavyweight champion Jones with three consecutive finishes after moving the middleweight division.
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Anthony Smith postponed Rashad Evans with HellaClacious Knee
In his light heavyweight debut, Anthony Smith was linked to former light heavyweight champion and 'The Ultimate Fighter 2' winner Rashad Evans in 2018.
It was a home fight for Evans in Chicago on UFC 225. Evans had dropped his previous two fights due to a split decision, the 38-year-old hoped to finally be on the right track against the younger Smith.
As the most productive Takedown artist of the division, Evans Smith tried to get rid of the fight in the first 40 seconds.
Evans pressed Smith against the cage with Smith with Evans in the conflict, looking for a knee.
Smith pulled Evans' head down while he fired a beautiful knee on floor Evans. Smith landed a follow -up punch on Evans while he went down and another on the floor while the referee pushed him out of the way.
Weeks after the KO result, 'Suga' Rashad Evans announced his MMA pension.
Anthony Smith walked through Shogun Rua in the first UFC Main Event
A month after his first victory in Light Heavyweight, Smith was rewarded with his UFC Main Event spot against another former champion in Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in Hamburg, Germany.
Smith came in for Volkan Ozdemir in the short term, whom he had actually put in his next fight before he met Jones for the title on UFC 235.
Rua was arranged in the world at the time, with his three-fighter win streak broken by Smith in less than 90 seconds.
Smith is starting to put Rua early, even landing a front kick on the face. Rua did not stop on so many wars. At the age of 36, however, Rua's Kin would fail him.
Rua pressed Smith under pressure against the cage with strikes before he withdrew after a club -shower judge landed evenly for his opponent.
Smith smoke blood in the water and swarmed Rua with left and rights over the octhoek. Smith finished a combination with a brutal left that sent Rua to the canvas.
Smith celebrated against Evans, knocked on his chest while Shogun Rua struggled to get back on very wobbly legs, not knowing where he was.
Mauricio Rua came to Rashad Evans in the UFC Hall of Fame last summer. Evans was inaugurated in 2019.