Anthony Smith will get the chance to prove that he is worthy of his nickname at UFC 303, against Roman Dolidze. With an impressive record of 38 wins and 19 losses, Smith has established himself in the realm of mixed martial arts. ‘Lionheart’ is definitely looking up to continuing winning, after showcasing an impressive performance with a quick submission over Vitor Petrino last time out.

The American has displayed his fighting skills a multitude of times. Despite losing some of those battles, he was always hailed for his courage and ‘heart’. But what is the story behind the fighter’s nickname? Let’s dive right into it. 

All we know about Anthony Smith’s popular moniker ‘ Lionheart’

Anthony Smith has been in over 50 fights in the world of mixed martial arts. He went up against top contenders like Jon Jones, and Glover Teixeira. But he has successfully maintained his never-say-die attitude. The 35-year-old has always shown courage during fights against such strong opponents. This could be the reason why Smith is called the ‘Lionheart’. However, there was a time when the fighter talked about having a heart. 

Talking about the ‘heart’, before his fight against Ryan Spann, Anthony Smith said, “I think heart is the unwillingness to submit. And that’s in every sense of the game. There’s guys out there that are better than I am. There’s guys that are stronger, there’s guys that are faster. But no one is gonna outheart me. It’s never gonna happen. I want it more than anybody else.”

The fighter then revealed that he has come pretty far as a mixed martial artist. He got through the stinkiest of fights “just off of pure heart.” Answering the big question, Anthony Smith claimed that to him, having a heart meant the fire to succeed by any means necessary. Furthermore, he added, “I never lose my heart, you know. I never lose that unwavering will to win. You’re exhausted, you’re broken, you’re tired. But you still have it… No matter how many rounds I’m down or how bad I’m beaten or whatever, I always feel like I can win.”

But why does his moniker mean the heart of a lion? Well, it now comes down to discipline. “For me personally, my discipline is what makes me so successful,” Anthony Smith said. He further backed his statement, saying that if one doesn’t have the discipline to train, they could never go for it. Training is hard, indeed. Staying away from one’s family and close ones is hard. Furthermore, he claimed that he doesn’t hang out with other athletes or fighters, rather he prefers to befriend other ‘normal’ people. If the fighter did not have discipline, he wouldn’t have the strength to stay away from his family and train at times when he didn’t feel good.

“And then when it comes down to the fight, I’m obviously an instinctual fighter, but there’s a lot of discipline that comes along with that,” Smith added. Further claiming that the fight moves are nothing but instincts, just like that of a lion in the wild.

When a former UFC champion took shots at Smith’s nickname

Following Smith’s fight with the Brazilian fighter, Glover Teixeira, he received quite a bit of appreciation from the fighting community. Even the former UFC champ, Francis Ngannou, opined that he deserved his moniker, while subtly taking shots about him underperforming against a 40-year-old veteran. Ngannou wrote on Twitter, “Anthony Smith deserves his nickname (Lionheart). Incredible performance for Teixeira (a 40 years old man).”

Anthony Smith and Teixeira collided against each other in the main event at UFC Ajax, back in 2020. Although the Brazilian won the fight with a TKO, Smith was commended for surviving the assault in the previous rounds. He truly lived up to his nickname, ‘Lionheart’. 

What are your thoughts about Anthony Smith’s moniker? Do you think he is worthy of being called ‘Lionheart’? Let us know in the comments down below.