It was a rough night for “Lionheart.”
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes scored his second straight victory at UFC 310 last night (Sat., Dec. 7, 2024) when he battered fellow title challenger Anthony Smith to win via TKO from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (watch highlights).
Smith was very emotional all last week as he had the death of one of his coaches hanging over his head, and it all came out on fight night. “Lionheart” cried during the entirety of his walkout, and his emotions came out during the fight as well.
After the fight, his opponent, Reyes, revealed he got a strange mid-fight request from Smith.
“So, when I went in the cage – I haven’t been around Anthony much in my life, for the record – but when I was in the cage with him, he was emotional, right? That’s a dangerous man, like he’s said it, he’s fighting for a friend, and he doesn’t care about the outcome, he just wants to feel something,” Reyes told the media during his post-fight press conference.
“There was a point in the first round when he put his hands down and just said, ‘Punch me in the face,’ and I obliged,” Reyes continued. “That’s my job. My job is to finish you and get you out of there, whether you’re going through something or not, if you’re going to give me free shots or not, I’m going to hit you. We are professional fighters, and it is a very dangerous game. God bless Anthony.”
“Losing someone is never easy; I’ve lost people to me this year as well, and it’s terrible. I’m glad he got to come out and be the warrior that he is; this is his outlet,” Reyes concluded. My job is to win and give my best performance, and that’s all I was focused on. So, whatever you’re going through, when the door closes, it’s wartime.”
After the loss, Smith was interviewed by Joe Rogan and hinted at retirement by saying, “I don’t know how many more times I can do this.” However, UFC CEO Dana White stepped in once the event concluded and retired Smith.
Ultimately, Smith became “the guy that has people telling you that you need to leave.”
For complete UFC 310 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.