Anthony Smith’s Home Invasion: All About Luke Haberman, the Man Accused of Breaking In to the UFC Star’s House

Anthony Smith is all set to step inside the arena against Vitor Petrino in UFC 301. Losing only a single fight in the light heavyweight division, Smith has established himself as an adept fighter. With his strengths lying in the realm of Jiu Jitsu, ‘Lionheart’ has often given tough competition to his opponents. 

Smith has claimed the black belt in BJJ, with his favorite weapon being the triangle choke. As soon as he takes the fight to the ground, ‘Lionheart’ often tries to submit his opponent via the triangle choke or its variations. Yet, there was a time when Smith had to use his grappling skills outside of the Octagon when he got his home invaded. To add to the thrill, the intruder gave Smith one of the toughest fights ever. But how did the mixed martial artist face so much trouble just to subdue a single intruder?

Who was Luke Haberman, the man who invaded Anthony Smith’s home?

Back in 2020, Smith recalled the incident in an interview with the famous MMA reporter, Ariel Helwani. He revealed that the incident took place at around 4 am. Waking up to the sound of his wife alerting him of the intruder, the mixed martial artist went on to confront the intruder. His wife went straight to their children, kept them safe, and called the cops. 

After finding the invader in the living room, ‘Lionheart’ showed his bravery and brawled with the intruder. Within 5 minutes, the cops arrived at the scene and the intruder was revealed as a man named Luke Haberman. Haberman was charged with first-degree criminal trespass and was arrested. 

It was later revealed that Haberman was a former high school wrestler, at Bishop Neumann Wrestling, Nebraska. As per BJJ’s Eastern Europe records, he had an impressive record of 32 wins out of 43 matches fought in his senior year. Graduating in 2017, Haberman was also a member of the Bishop Neumann Varsity Football team. No wonder he gave the fighter so much trouble!

Haberman was released to the hospital following the issue of a citation. Although the former wrestler wasn’t taken into custody, he had to appear for a court hearing. Haberman did not steal a single thing from Smith’s household. And thankfully, no one was hurt in the entire incident. However, despite being nicknamed ‘Lionheart’, Smith was terrified.

Anthony Smith couldn’t bring Luke Haberman down and felt terrified

After finding Haberman in the living room’s open area, Smith calculated every possibility and exerted extreme caution. But the mixed martial artist didn’t back away from the trouble. As Haberman acknowledged Smith’s presence in the room, he began walking towards him, as if trying to scare the light heavyweight fighter. Without a doubt, ‘Lionheart’ believed that he had a weapon concealed with him. Trying his best not to give Haberman a chance to reveal his supposedly concealed weapon, the UFC contender dove in for a brawl. 

Little did Smith know that Haberman was a former high school wrestling champion. Smith revealed that Haberman took every single attack that he sent forth, which apparently terrified the professional fighter even more.  “I had a hard time dealing with him. And he took everything that I gave him. Every punch, every knee, every elbow. He took every single one of them and kept fighting me.” He further said that it was indeed one of the most terrifying experiences the fighter has ever had. “You always just think you’re such a badass. I just don’t feel like one, feel insufficient a little bit. I didn’t know it was possible to be that terrified.” 

Nevertheless, the past is in the past. Now, as Smith gets ready to fight Petrino in UFC 301, Rio de Janeiro, speculations and predictions have taken over the internet. Who do you think would win in the fight? Smith or Petrino? Drop down to the comments below and let us know your thoughts.