Anthony Smith Arrested
It took me a little while to feel like commenting on the story of Anthony Smith's arrest. Yet another MMA fighter, albeit not as high-profile as a Conor McGregor — or even a Dustin Poirier — goes off the rails and catches a series of disturbing domestic violence charges. All 3 are felonies: first degree domestic violence, uttering terroristic threats and false imprisonment. The maximum sentences could theoretically land the ex-UFC middleweight gatekeeper in jail for decades.
Oddly enough, TMZ was one of the better sources of reporting on the story. The smoldering remnants of the MMA journalism scene gave the whole event very little notice.
I wouldn't say Smith was ever "one of my guys." He was a competent middleweight, which is not really a compliment; 185 pounds has never been a great division and it has languished since the heyday of Anderson Silva. His career peak was taking a subpar Jon Jones — who fought cautiously enough to think he didn't care about the fight, or didn't respect Smith whatsoever — to a decision that he ultimately lost. The rest of his UFC tenure was a mix of lackluster decisions and violent stoppage losses. I will never forget the time Glover Teixeira essentially knocked all his teeth out... (I would like to, though.)
Still, Smith found his way into the commentary and analyst booths on UFC broadcasts, and he did a decent job. Not all fighters are good behind the mic, often coming off as pedantic (Dominick Cruz) or unprepared and goofy (Daniel Cormier); not everyone can be a Bryan Stann. After spending 20 years watching the sport of MMA grind fighters into dust and leave them with nothing to fall back on, I always liked seeing someone broaden their prospects. Admittedly, some of that was coming from a position of self-interest: the less of a meatgrinder the sport appears to be, the more likely it will thrive and I can keep watching.
There's no way to blame what Smith did specifically on CTE, although there's a very good chance that his lengthy career in combat sports — including 12 losses by KO / TKO — could have contributed to this situation. Repeated brain trauma can absolutely change people, making them more violent and impulsive. It's also possible that Smith has always been a piece of shit who also happened to get hit in the head a lot. Nothing is ever cut and dry, and a lifetime of fighting doesn't excuse criminal acts.
It will be a while before the trial plays out. The big takeaway is: yet another point in favour of my decision to walk away from MMA as a fan — or even semi-casual follower. Even more disconcerting than the lack of discernible stars in the sport is the utter paucity of decent human beings. Gone are the days of the UFC pointing out that Chuck Liddell had a bachelor's degree in accounting, or that Rich Franklin was a high school teacher; these days, it feels like the fighter ranks are little more than domestic abusers, right-wing reactionaries, and varying mixes of both.
PUBLISHED: 2026-08-23