Anthony Smith, a longtime UFC analyst and former title challenger, was arrested Monday night by Nebraska authorities. Smith, 38, is booked in Sarpy County Jail in his home state, according to a report first published by TMZ and confirmed by Yahoo Sports.
Smith faces three felony charges: terroristic threats, first-degree false imprisonment, and domestic violence causing serious bodily injury. The combined potential sentence for all three charges, if he is convicted, exceeds 20 years in prison. As of Tuesday, no bond had been set.
The circumstances that led to his arrest had not been made public at the time of the initial reports. Further details were expected to be released as the case develops.
Smith retired from UFC competition in 2025 after a nine-year run with the organization that included 24 fights. During that stretch he challenged Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title in 2019, falling short in that bid. He also collected notable wins over former champions Rashad Evans and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, along with top contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir. His career record stands at 39-22.
He had been a presence on UFC television broadcasts for much of his final years as an active fighter, working as an analyst, and continued in that role after retiring from competition in 2025.
Earlier in 2026, Smith returned to fighting outside the UFC. He submitted Chase Sherman in the first round of a bare-knuckle MMA bout as part of Gamebred FC's ongoing $500,000 heavyweight tournament.
Smith's next court appearance and bond hearing had not been scheduled as of Tuesday.
