While UFC 310 saw Dominick Reyes securing a win over Anthony Smith with a TKO via elbows and punches, it was the ‘Lionheart’ who won over the fans’ hearts. He was overcome with emotions following the fight and it had nothing to do with his loss. He had lost his friend, Scotty Morton, just a month before UFC 310. He was just 47 and also Smith’s coach.

Smith was in Long Island when he got to know the devastating news. He was busy training with Ray Longo and his team and was looking forward to adding on new skills when his phone buzzed with the news of Morton’s demise. He had suffered a heart attack.

As reported by UFC.com, Smith said, “Him and I have trained every day or twice a day, damn near on average, six days a week since I was 17 years old. And he was my coach, but that was one of the smaller parts of what he was. That guy was my best friend. He was my mentor / older brother / father figure.”

Morton was a notable jiu-jitsu black belt and a fixture in the grappling and MMA culture in Nebraska.

So Smith caught the first available flight and flew back to Nebraska. He started training for his fight against Dominick Reyes because Morton would want to see him win. “He was the glue that held us all together. And we just really leaned into training. We haven’t missed a day and haven’t missed a session since he died. It’s like everyone’s wrapping their arms around me and we’re just doing this together.”

Camp was a distraction for Smith. But it was difficult to get his mind to stop thinking about his friend when not practicing. “It’s worse at nighttime. So I just bust my a– all day and then find some s–t to do at nighttime. But I think that’s kind of what it’s doing for everybody. We’re just leaning into it, and I try to imagine what he would say. I thought about taking the day off when I got home from New York and I was like, well, I can just imagine him. ‘Oh, of course, you f–king p—. Use this as an excuse to take a day off.’ (Laughs) I just imagined him saying that. So I was like, well, this is how we’re going to do this, and we’re just going to lean into it. But yeah, I think it’s a distraction and it’s given me a purpose. It’s given me an extra piece of motivation.”

But the thought of dropping the fight was not something that crossed his mind. Not even once. That was not an option.

Morton wanted Anthony Smith to retire after his loss to Khalil Rountree Jr. but after so discussion, he agreed to stay with Smith with the condition that he could pick the matchups. Dominick Reyes got a ‘yes’ from Morton and Smith wanted to honor his friend’s decision. But it was easier said than done.

“I’ve never done life as an adult without him,” shared Smith.

Though Smith lost the fight against Reyes, he dedicated it to his dear coach and friend. But what’s next?

Is Anthony Smith retiring after UFC 310?

Talking to Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, Smith expressed his emotions regarding his coach’s passing. He said, “I don’t know how many times I can do this. Scott was my best friend, and I thought I could push it down. But I couldn’t even control it walking in here.” He admitted that the fight never really mattered to him. All that mattered was Morton’s presence in his corner.

But is Smith really going to retire? When the UFC color commentator asked if UFC 310 was the last time the fighting community saw him fighting, he said, “Man, I don’t know. Probably. But it’s been a long road, man. I wanna think on it. Well, probably.”

Smith was visibly saddened after losing his friend. During the post-fight press conference, Reyes weighed in on this and revealed that ‘Lionheart’ was raw with emotions during the fight. “There was a point in the first round when he put his hands down and was just like ‘punch me in the face’. And I obliged, right? That’s my job.”

Smith’s retirement plans were still pretty uncertain. But one thing was for sure. We might not see the ‘Lionheart’ compete in the Octagon any time soon. It might take him some time to recover from his injuries and also from his friend’s loss.

What do you think of Smith opting for retirement? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.