Dominick Reyes and Anthony Smith, UFC 310 ceremonial weigh-in Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press
Saturday’s UFC 310 preliminaries pitted two former light heavyweight title challengers, with Dominick Reyes taking on Anthony Smith for the first time in years.
Smith, a veteran of nearly 60 fights in the sport, lost 1.5 pounds on Friday and threw a wrench. He weighed in a second time and was able to make it to 205.5 pounds, but how exhausted “Lionheart” was will be a question in the bout.
In addition, Smith was also reeling from the loss of coach Scotty Morton, who passed away suddenly this year. Morton had been the driving force behind Smith’s fighting career since he was 17 years old.
Anthony Smith attempted a takedown early, but Reyes ducked it. The match was briefly stopped because Smith was poked in the eye. Once Reyes’ eyes recovered, the two went back to trading on their feet. Both men exchanged wild swings, and Smith landed a spectacular right hand. Reyes put pressure on Smith and responded by throwing left hand combinations and uppercuts. Reyes then landed multiple jabs and left hands in quick succession, and Smith backed away, sticking out his tongue and inviting more attacks from Reyes. This final sequence resulted in Reyes winning the round after a relatively even fight for the first four and a half minutes.
Once again, Smith attempted a single leg takedown early in the second round. Reyes successfully defended the takedown and landed a brutal elbow while Smith grabbed his leg. The buildup brought Smith to his knees, but he wouldn’t let go and Reyes continued to pound away. With “Lionheart” desperately clinging on, Reyes moved to the back and used the position to take a few deep breaths before resuming his ground-and-pound action. Smith’s lack of defense left Mark Goddard with no choice but to stop the fight near the end of the round.
After the loss, a visibly emotional Anthony Smith removed his gloves and told Joe Rogan that this could be his last walk into the Octagon. He lost his best friend and coach during training camp, and was unsure if he would be able to continue fighting.
Official result: Dominick Reyes def. Anthony Smith, TKO, round 2, 4:46
