25-Fight UFC Veteran Shockingly Ends Retirement for Bareknuckle MMA Tournament

Former UFC title challenger and 25-fight UFC veteran Anthony Smith is set to make his return to MMA after announcing his retirement last year.

With a staggering total of 59 professional MMA bouts to his name, Smith was submitted in a one-off appearance with the UFC following his brief two-fight Strikeforce career but later rejoined the promotion for a much lengthier run starting in 2016.

“Lionheart” retired after Mingyang Zhang handed the MMA veteran his third-straight loss last April, but the 37-year-old is now set to compete under Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA brand just shy of a year since his last fight.

Anthony Smith Returns For Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA Tournament

According to the report from MMA Junkie, Masvidal’s Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA is returning with a pair of 16-man heavyweight and lightweight tournaments this year, and both will feature a $500,000 prize pool.

Jorge Masvidal (L) talks with UFC play-by-play commentator Jon Anik (R) during weigh-ins for UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The heavyweight tournament is scheduled to take place on April 10 in the Dominican Republic, and the initial batch of confirmed fights feature a number of notable names familiar to fans of both the UFC and PFL.

Smith moves up to the heavyweight division to take on fellow UFC veteran Chase Sherman, Guto Inocente will meet recently-suspended UFC fighter Mohammed Usman, Alexandr Romanov returns to meet Nikolay Kovalenko, and Todd Duffee takes on 2021 PFL Heavyweight Champion Bruno Cappelozza.

Anthony Smith (red gloves) prepares to fight Zhang Mingyang (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The other four heavyweight matchups for the April 10 card are expected to be revealed in the coming days, and the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA lightweight tournament is scheduled to take place on May 1 in Miami, FL.

"Lionheart" Fought Jon Jones For UFC Title In 2019

The April 10 card will mark the first Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event since late 2024, which saw a headlining bantamweight championship bout between UFC veterans Randy Costa and Brandon Davis end in the first round due to an illegal knee.

Both Inocente and Sherman competed on that card, with Inocente stopping his countryman Marcos Brigagão in the first round before Sherman was submitted by Maurice Greene in the night’s co-main event. “The Vanilla Gorilla” had won his previous two Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA appearances via first-round stoppage, and Sherman will look to hand Smith what would be his fourth loss in a row when the pair meet on April 10.

Jon Jones (red gloves) with the title belt after defeating Anthony Smith (blue gloves) during UFC 235 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

“Lionheart” did pick up a submission-win over Vitor Petrino in 2024 prior to the three-fight skid that initially closed out his MMA career. The 37-year-old famously challenged Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight belt at UFC 235 in 2019 and passed up on a chance to win the 205 lbs. belt via disqualification before he ultimately dropped a five-round unanimous decision to Jones.

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