Anthony Smith loses first fight in MMA return since arrest

Anthony Smith's return from the greatest controversy of his life was not a triumphant one. Yesterday, he fought in the Gamebred FC Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal, but it was a crushing loss and a sign that Smith needs to recommit to retirement.

Disaster strikes for Anthony Smith

These last few months have not been kind to Anthony Smith. Back on July 27, he was arrested in Sarpy County, Nebraska on charges of domestic assault, false imprisonment, and making terroristic threats. Details later emerged alleging that Smith had threatened to kill his wife, Mikhala Renee Newman, after she had allegedly refused to enter a vehicle with him, which he is accused of having used in an attempt to run her over, along with trying to force her into said vehicle. Despite the harrowing nature of the allegations, Smith has professed his innocence, and Newman has since come out in defense of her husband.

After posting a $500,000 bond, Smith has refocused on MMA, returning at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 12. He took on Jordan Heiderman in the Gamebred FC Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal, but struggled with Heiderman's size and physicality. In round two, he was taken down and battered. Trapped against the fence, Smith tried to his best to get back to his feet, but ultimately turtled up and took one too many unanswered strikes for the referee's liking, who eventually waved it off to award Heiderman the TKO win. The loss leaves Smith at 1-4 in his last five fights, and is not a promising look into his combat sports future. He's 38 years old and on a serious downswing that saw him call it a career in the UFC, where he went 2-6 in his last 8 fights with them.

Unfortunately, Smith walked back on his teased retirement by signing with Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA. He was successful in his first outing with the promotion, submitting Chase Sherman in round one at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 9. That, though, was followed by his recent loss to Heiderman, a fighter of no renown, who Smith would have certainly fared much better against during the peak of his career. But to go from facing the legendary Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title to losing to a fighter few will ever even know in a low-level promotion must be sobering. It should be his wake up call that fighting may no longer be an option.