Six years ago, the UFC’s ‘Lionheart’ once terrorized the whole light-heavyweight division on his way to a title fight against the then-champion, arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones. Back then, his loss to Jones was considered a minor setback in his career, but no one knew Anthony Smith would never reach these heights again. Going back to last year, a major point in Smith’s career came when he fought Dominick Reyes at UFC 310 and suffered a RD2 TKO loss to him, after which the legendary fighter started considering retirement, which came as a blow heavier than many expected, as Smith’s coach, Scott Morton, had recently passed away before the fight and Smith was suffering depression since.
And in March, Anthony Smith realized he wanted to go out of the sport on his terms as he announced his one last fight against an up-and-coming talent in China’s Zhang Mingyang. As he labeled their bout his ‘one last fight’, the Lionheart said: “I’m not even saying I need a guaranteed win. I just wanted more favorable circumstances. I wanted to know. I wanted to do it on my own terms, and they were super open and willing to make that happened and were able to get me close to home. It was a great conversation.”
After suffering a TKO loss in RD1 against Mingyang, Smith finally decided to leave his gloves in the Octagon and retire from the sport. Smith, just more than one week into his retirement came on his YouTube channel to address the concerns around his mental state and what came a great news for his admirers, it seems the ‘Lionheart’ is really enjoying his life on the other side.
Comparing his mentality from now and to then when he was in the fight-game, Smith said: “I’ve just spent a week and a half with my family every single day just doing nothing. Um I’ve, you know like I’ve cooked every single day for the family. Like I’m just really enjoying myself. Um without this thing hanging over my head. And I think really it comes down to, it’s not like fighting is torturous or something, you know, like it’s not like I don’t enjoy it but I think getting out of there without having the next target I didn’t realize how much of my brain it took over. Like whether you win or you lose, if you win you’re in the back and they’re already rolling to the next one. Who do you want next?
He further added: “This guy’s fighting this guy, What if he wins? Do you want this person? And then from that moment you have someone on your mind, you’re constantly thinking about who’s next, that next fight that next person, even if it’s four or five months away you’re already thinking about his his his weaknesses or his strengthsand and how those match up with yours. And then so even when you’re doing kind of your skill building or just your workouts just to stay in shape. That thing is always on your mind. So you’re always thinking about it.
During his fighting days, fans were frequently concerned and discussed the ‘Lionheart’s mental health and passion for the sport. But in the most ‘Lionheart’ way, Anthony Smith let the world know he is more than okay, he is healing with his family.
But fate wasn’t so merciful with other fighters who fell in a similar situation. Lets read further to find out.
UFC Fighters who retired from MMA due to mental health struggles
Ever wondered why MMA practitioners are so respected? Their unbreakable discipline and hunger to improve everyday plays a huge part in that, but what they do once they get inside the cage is what gets them their respect. To be able to entertain viewers by putting your body on the line is no task for the weak-hearted. And for the fighters to earn their respect in the Octagon, they deal something far more important such life-threatening injuries and mental health issues as well.
At the mere age of 29, lightweight prospect Jalin Turner announced his retirement from MMA after his loss to Ignacio Bahamondes, Turner said: “I don’t wanna keep taking damage. Training camps are hard. Life is really taking a toll. It’s been taking a toll the last eleven months, so I just need to step away for a little bit. I mean, maybe forever. At this point, the competition just gets better. I’m just getting older. So yeah, I’m gonna just sit down and think about it. You know? But I think that’s it.”
Even the former women’s UFC Bantamweight champion Meisha Tate had retired from MMA in 2016 due to her mental health struggles but made a return to the octagon in 2021. She emphasized on the practice of raising mental awareness in the MMA community, one thing that not just in MMA, but we should be aware of in every field.
The rise of mental health issues in the modern era is a concerning issue. Whether its fighters or regular people, every third person is dealing with mental struggles. For a person to remain in optimal mental health, one has to remain healthy not just physically but mentally too. Talk to those around and gather the courage to ask for help from others and help them too. Can mental awareness be a regular practice in MMA? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
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