UFC Squashes Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith’s Power Slap Dreams

Don’t expect to see Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith step up to the Power Slap podium anytime soon.

Having lost three of his last bouts inside the Octagon, Smith is gearing up for what will be the final fight of his career. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the one-time UFC title challenger revealed that the promotion promptly shut down the possibility of him competing at a Power Slap event.

“I tried. They told me no,” Smith told Helwani. “Straight up, I asked Hunter [Campbell] and he told me no. He wouldn’t even bring it to Dana. I don’t know. He said no.”

While Power Slap has received its fair share of criticism from fighters and fans alike, ‘Lionheart’ has been one of the few to express his love for the sport.

“I cannot get enough of the Power Slap League,” Smith said on MMA on Sirius XM in February 2023. “My body is ready for a pay-per-view. I will pay for it. I don’t care how much it costs. I’ll pre-pay. I’ll pre-pay the next 10. I love it. I don’t know why. I can’t give you a reason – maybe because I was there during the pilot of it and I’ve seen it in person.”

‘Lionheart’ ready to give it one more go inside the octagon

While we may never see Anthony Smith slap the sh*t out of someone on Rumble, we’ll at least get to see the perennial light heavyweight contender compete once more before laying down his gloves for good.

“It’s one more,” Smith said. “Win, lose, or draw, that’s it.”

No opponent has been announced, but Smith did confirm that his last stand will go down this April.