Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is set to make his return to the octagon this year against Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 173 on April 25 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Smith announced the fight on Friday while doing coverage for UFC Fight Night 166 on ESPN. This fight will be the main event for the card.
Smith is looking to return from a broken left hand, which he suffered in a submission win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Fight Night 153 on June 1, 2019. MMA Junkie’s Nolan King reports that Smith had to have two surgeries on his hand after the first one was unsuccessful. Prior to his fight with Gustafsson, Smith had fought light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones for the title at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019, in a losing effort. Smith is from Omaha, Nebraska and this will be his first fight main eventing in his hometown. Currently, Smith is ranked third in the light heavyweight division and his MMA record is 33-14.
Teixeira is looking to keep his current momentum going and a win over Smith can get him closer to a title shot. At 40 years old, Teixeira had a great 2019 in the UFC and is on a three-fight win streak. His last win was over Nikita Krylov by split decision at UFC Fight Night 158 on September 14, 2019. Teixeira is ranked ninth in the light heavyweight division and his MMA record is 30-7.
The card is still coming together, other fights were announced for the card. Cynthia Calvillo will face Antonina Shevchenko in a flyweight matchup and Evan Dunham will face Michael Johnson at lightweight.