Anthony Smith is ready to perform for the final time as an athlete at UFC on ESPN 66 and transition into the next chapter of his life.
Longtime MMA veteran and former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Smith (37-21 MMA, 13-11 UFC) will compete in his retirement bout Saturday (ESPN2, ESPN+) when he takes on Zhang Mingyang (18-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the co-main event matchup at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
There was a point less than two years ago when Smith openly admitted he was “terrified” by the prospect of hanging up his gloves. His entire perspective prior to his December loss to Dominick Reyes, however, changed when his lifelong friend and coach, Scott Morton, tragically passed away.
“I’ve accepted it,” Smith told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Scottie dying changed it for me. I’m actually having a fairly fun week, but this isn’t something I want to get used to, having fights with that missing piece in our crew. Even the nighttimes are a little bit different. Instead of sitting around listening to him snore while he falls asleep randomly, we’re now telling jokes about it. It’s just different. It feels different, so I don’t feel like I’m leaving something that I’ve had for a long time. Because this is totally different.
“I’m in a unique situation where guys don’t really get the chance to live and breathe in their retirement fights and all the things that come with it. I’m really fortunate. I get to say my goodbyes in the way that I want to. Even though I’ll still be around, but as an athlete, this will be the last of a lot of different things. Some of them good, some of them bad.”
Smith, 36, said he is fully focused on his fight against Mingyang on Saturday, but admits he is relishing waking up on Sunday knowing that this chapter of his life is over and a weight is lifted off his shoulders.
“I’m looking forward to not having to leave my kids for six or seven weeks at a time,” Smith said. “Now I’m chasing their athletic journeys and their things and worrying about what they have going on and setting my sh*t to the side. Every time you fight you get a couple days of relaxing or whatever you want to call that – I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve walked out of the octagon, walked right to the back and looked right at (my manager) Lloyd Pierson’s face and said, ‘Now who we fighting?’ You don’t even get to enjoy it because you just go on to the next one. Not having that next thing in your face, I’m pretty excited for it, that’s for sure.”
As Smith prepared for his final walk, he is trying to enjoy each part of the process. Nothing will give him the gratification of stepping into the octagon, though and once the cage door locks, he wants to soak it all in.
“I’ll miss the actual act of fighting,” Smith said. “Everybody loves winning. I love the actual act of fighting. Fighting smells different. Your senses are just locked in and operating on a different level. This is going to sound crazy, but the smell of blood is very unique. There’s just something about the act of fighting, the sound, the feel, the smells. I really enjoy that part.”
Positive endings in MMA are a rare find. It’s not often fighters go out on the right side of a highlight, and Smith has his hands full to avoid that with Mingyang, who has finished all 18 of his career wins by first-round stoppage.
Smith said he’s prepared for the danger his opponent brings, but if he can set one goal for his final performance, it’s to let all his years of training and competing to shine through.
“I want to not hesitate,” Smith said. “This latter part of my career – the analyst work has saved me in terms of my future and working my way into that part of my life. But it’s also hindered me a lot be cause I do so much watching fights and analyzing and picking people apart, sometimes I’ll find myself in the middle of a fight being an analyst and being a spectator instead of participating.
“Really that’s the most important part to me. If I can do that and not hesitate and overanalyze everything that’s in front of me and just fight instinctually, which is why I’ve never watched Zhang fight. That’s very much on purpose. I don’t want to be stuck on looking for things. I just want to react and be instinctual.”
