"I went into that fight ready to die" - When Anthony Smith had to fight off an intruder who broke into his home in the middle of the night
In April 2020, a young intruder entered Anthony Smith's house. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel, Smith recalled the horrifying experience, saying:
"When you think about this, you hear a story and you try and think about what you would do in that situation. But the problem is you're never ready for it... I was cooking all night, and I went to bed, I woke up and that's what I walked right into. So, I'm not lying when I say that was one of the toughest fights I've ever had in my life, like... I went into that fight ready to die!"
Watch footage of the incident below:
.@lionheartasmith says he's still ready to fight on 4/25 even after he fought off an intruder at his home over the weekend. This is video for the suspect after he allegedly broke into another man's home before going to Smith's. Smith describes what happened.
@3NewsNowOmaha https://t.co/mGwSlTjimo
Smith later commented on the situation. He said that he tried to control the intruder to protect his family.
"I don't know what he had. Typically, people don't break into your house at night for any good reason so I'm expecting that I'm gonna hear a gun shot or he's gonna stab me or I'm gonna.. like he's got something. So I figure, I got about two minutes before whatever he's got takes me out, so I thought adrenaline can probably carry you two minutes through anything as long as it's not a gunshot to the head," said Anthony Smith.
Watch his full interview with ESPN MMA below:
Anthony Smith recently beat Ryan Spann at UFC Vegas 37. 'Lionheart' secured a first-round submission victory (rear-naked choke). The win now firmly places Smith within reach of another shot at the light heavyweight title.
Anthony Smith fought Glover Teixeira the month after the terrible experience
Anthony Smith was originally scheduled to face Glover Teixeira on April 25, 2020, just five days after the intruder entered his home. The bout was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rescheduled for May 13.
Teixeira secured the victory in the fifth and final round in the thrilling main event of UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira. The Brazilian finished 'Lionheart' at the 1:04 mark of the final frame.
Watch the finish below:
Time is an illusion ⏰
At 4️⃣0️⃣, @GloverTeixeira gets the main event win! #UFCJAX https://t.co/6Z5jmqzeIH