Anthony Smith feels invigorated by his first post-UFC performance and intends to see how far he can take things in the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight tournament.
After retiring from MMA following an April 2025 loss under the UFC banner, Smith (37-22) opted to push forward in combat sports when the Jorge Masvidal-run promotion approached him about another fight – but with no gloves.
Smith thrived in the opportunity earlier this month, pummelling and then submitting Chase Sherman for a first-round in an opening-round matchup in the 16-man tournament. It was an extremely satisfying moment for "Lionheart," who said he craved to get back to competition without the stakes and intensity of the UFC stage.
"There was no pressure because I don't have to do this, I get to do this," Smith told MMA Junkie. "I know it sounds very cliche and very silly. I'm not out here saying I'm the best bare knuckle fighter in the world, I'm not saying I'm the best heavyweight in the world. I don't give a sh*t about any of that. I just wanted to have fun, and I wanted to do a place that would allow me to do that without the pressure and the foot on your neck. ... Masvidal's very good at this. He's got a lot of really good people around him. "
At 37, Smith said the initial plan called to fight Sherman, then move back to spending time with his family, doing a bit of coaching, and working as a desk analyst for UFC. Given how well things went, though, Smith wants to continue to the tournament quarterfinals and see if he can position himself for a run to the $500,000 tournament crown.
"I signed it with no intention with making it to the end," Smith said. "I was like, 'I'll fight one then they'll have to throw in an alternate or whatever. ... Initially it was supposed to be one, and then they brought up this tournament format. At the time, I was like, 'I don't know if I have four left in my entire life, I definitely don't have four left in a year.' But, I got in and got out, and I felt pretty comfortable with the promotion, and they treated me really well, and I felt like I was respected and appreciated, and the fans really seemed to like it. So I'll run it out there again. I'll just do it one at a time."
Although there's still a lot of tournament fights to get through before the finals, it's hard not to circle Smith and fellow former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos as a potential dream finale for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA.
Smith suffered a second-round TKO loss to Santos in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 125 in February 2018, and although it's not a rematch he's been chasing, Smith understands it would likely be the most promotable fight for the growing organization.
"Business-wise and promotionally, I would imagine best case is Thiago Santos lining up in the finals in December," Smith said. "That's what I would imagine works out best for them. And that's a fun one. That's a fun one. I don't think Thiago or I are necessarily begging for that. We didn't enjoy ourselves the first one, but we made a commitment, and we'll see what happens."
To hear more from Smith, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC vet Anthony Smith ditches plan for one-and-done MMA return