Anthony Smith is facing criminal allegations for an incident involving his wife. Smith, a mixed martial artist and analyst, is accused of threatening to kill his wife, attempting to run her over with a car and forcing her into a vehicle.
Smith was arrested on Monday night in Sarpy County, Nebraska, ultimately booked on three charges: attempted first-degree domestic assault, terroristic threats and false imprisonment. MMA Junkie received a statement from the Sarpy County Attorney’s Office detailing the alleged events leading up to Smith’s arrest.
The incident allegedly started with an altercation at a bar in Gretna, Nebraska. Smith threatened to kill his wife if she did not go home with him before grabbing and pushing her into a vehicle, according to the attorney’s office. Investigators claim Smith’s wife escaped the vehicle, after which Smith tried and failed to strike her with the vehicle multiple times.
Smith turned himself into authorities after an arrest warrant was issued. A judge granted him a $500,000 bond with the condition that he stay away from his wife. Smith is scheduled back in court on Aug. 17.
UFC president and CEO Dana White was surprised by Smith’s arrest. Though informed of domestic issues involving Smith, White clarified Friday that he was not caught up on specific details. he addressed the situation while in Belgrade, Serbia, for this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night.
“Well, he’s one of those guys, too, that you don’t expect to see that happen,” White told The Mac Life on Friday. “But — personal experience — it can happen to anybody. So, I don’t know enough about it; I don’t know enough of the details. I’ve been on the road this whole time. But I just hope it works out for him and his family and his kids.”
White found himself in the spotlight three years ago for domestic violence. He and his wife struck each other on New Year’s Eve while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Footage from their physical altercation materialized online. White was never formally punished for the incident, though he’s repeatedly denounced his actions in the years since.
Smith headlined eight UFC events during his tenure, most notably challenging Jon Jones in a failed bid for the light heavyweight title. However, MMA didn’t come naturally to Smith. He started his professional career with a losing 6-7 record before finding his footing. At the height of his success, he stopped former UFC champions Rashad Evans and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, as well as title challengers Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir.
Smith ended a one-year retirement in April, submitting Chase Sherman in his bare-knuckle MMA debut. He has fought professionally 61 times, suffering 13 knockout losses. In the later stages of his MMA career, Smith doubled up as a budding MMA analyst.
