Anthony Smith is back in action tonight in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira, facing Glover Teixeira in a light heavyweight division duel.
There was a time when Smith didn’t compete in the UFC and there was a time Smith once fought somebody on the day they got out of prison.
“I’m fighting Lucas St. Claire in Fargo and I think that was Chris Tuchscherer’s show,” Smith said to MMA Fighting. “That was a big deal back then because Chris’ claim to fame at the time was that he was Brock Lesnar’s main training partner. I’m fighting this dude and I’m not getting any information. Is the contract signed? Well it turns out Lucas St. Claire signed the contract to fight me while he was in jail. The fight was on an Indian reservation I believe but he was also Native American and I believe he was in a Native American jail. So he got out the day of the fight.”
No word has been given at this time as to why St. Claire was in prison before fighting Smith.
Smith calls the actual fight against St. Claire one of the toughest of his professional MMA career.
“He gets out [of jail] that morning. I had a hell of a terrible weight cut. I’m thinking I’m going fight this guy getting out of jail and it’s going to be no problem,” Smith said. “I go in there and have one of the toughest fights I’ve had in my entire life. This motherf*cker was tough. He was good. I had him deep in a couple of submissions and he just wouldn’t tap. I was like popping his leg in a knee bar. I ended up arm barring him but he never actually tapped. I’ll give it to him. The referee stopped it because it was disgusting looking but he never actually tapped.”
UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Teixeira takes place tonight from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida with Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
