Video: Anthony Smith tells corner ‘my teeth are falling out’

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images

Anthony Smith once again lived up to his “Lionheart” nickname against Glover Teixeira at UFC Jacksonville.

After leading the exchanges in the first half of the fight against Glover Teixeira, Anthony Smith began tiring and slowing down. From rounds three to five, it was Teixeira who dictated the pace until he eventually got the TKO win in the fifth round.

But Smith isn’t nicknamed “Lionheart” for nothing. Apparently, the former light heavyweight title contender lost one of his teeth as he was taking a beating, but nonetheless continued fighting.

During one of those moments, he was seen seemingly handing out one of those fallen teeth to referee Jason Herzog.

And during the break at the end of round four, Smith was heard telling his corner that his teeth were indeed falling out.

For as much heart as he showed, he was severely damaged and predictably was stopped just over a minute into the next round. There was much controversy over both the lack of a corner stoppage and the late stoppage by Herzog. His coach Marc Montoya later said Smith actually has veneers, so they interpreted differently than viewers.

The 40-year-old Teixeira, is now on a four-fight win streak, and likely climbs further up the rankings from his current number eight standing. Smith, on the other hand, broke a supposed losing streak, as he now goes on a 1-2 run since his title fight with Jon Jones in March 2019.