Anthony
Smith is set to return to competition amidst his legal
troubles.
Smith is set to fight Jordan
Heiderman in the main event of
Gamebred Bare-Knuckle MMA 12 on Oct. 2 in the Dominican
Republic. The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight was arrested
in Sarpy County, Nebraska, in July following an alleged altercation
with his wife. Smith is currently out on bail and faces four felony
charges.
Gamebred FC explains decision to book Anthony Smith against
Jordan Heiderman
Smith’s wife came out in his support soon after the arrest.
Meanwhile, the former UFC title challenger recently issued a
statement, promising to tell his version of the story soon.
Gamebred FC also released a statement, explaining their stance.
While Gamebred FC isn’t undermining the charges against Smith, they
consider him innocent until proven otherwise. Gamebred FC also
wants to allow Smith to continue to earn while he deals with his
legal issues.
“As we announce Anthony Smith’s return to the Gamebred FC cage, I
want to speak directly about where our organization stands,”
Gamebred FC president and COO Lex McMahon
wrote in the statement. “Anthony is facing serious allegations, and
like every person in this country, he is entitled to due process
and the presumption of innocence while his case moves through the
courts. He has pleaded not guilty and that process deserves to play
out fully and fairly on its own timeline, without a promotion, a
headline, or public opinion getting ahead of the facts. Anthony
also has a family to provide for and competing is how he does that.
Taking away his ability to earn a living before he has had his day
in court is not something Gamebred FC is willing to do to him or to
the people who depend on him. Jorge and I have known Anthony and
his family for years. What we have seen, up close and over time, is
a loving, devoted husband and father — nothing else. That doesn’t
mean we are closing our eyes to what has been reported. It means
that we also know there is more to this story than has made it into
the headlines. And we believe Anthony deserves the chance to tell
it fully, in the appropriate setting, not through speculation. Our
support for Anthony going forward is not a statement on the
specifics of the case — those will be decided by the court, as they
should be. It is a statement about fairness, about due process, and
about standing by someone we know until we are given real reason
not to. We will have no further comment on the legal proceedings
and ask that Anthony and his family’s privacy be respected as this
continues.”
Smith (39-22) exited the UFC following a loss to Mingyang
Zhang last year. “Lionheart” has since knocked out Chase
Sherman in his bare-knuckle MMA debut at Gamebred FC this past
April.
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