"Lionheart" challenged Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 235 in 2019 but fell short in a unanimous decision loss. He was struck with an illegal knee during the fight but opted to continue over claiming a likely disqualification win.

Zhang Mingyang comes out with a big victory in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night over Anthony Smith, who announced he would retire after the fight.

Anthony Smith, the UFC light heavyweight veteran known as “Lionheart,” officially retired from mixed martial arts after a first-round TKO loss to Zhang Mingyang in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night Kansas City on April 26 2025.