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Anthony Smith releases first statement since July arrest for multiple felony charges

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Anthony Smith releases first statement since July arrest for multiple felony charges

Ex-UFC title challenger Anthony Smith broke his silence for the first time since he was arrested in several felony charges in late July with a post on social media.

On Saturday, Smith took to Instagram celebrating that he was able to return home to his family after he was initially denied any contact with his wife because she was involved in the incident that led to his arrest. Smith was hit with a total of four felonies including an attempt of a class 1/1A/1B/1C/1D felony — a class 2 felony — terroristic threats and two charges of first degree false imprisonment, which are all class 3A felonies. Class 2 felonies are punishable with a minimum of one year in prison up to 50 years in prison. Class 3A felonies are punishable by a maximum of three years in prison and 18 months post-release supervision with no minimum punishment.

“Happy to be home with my household full of “whys,'†Smith wrote on Instagram. “I'll be able to tell my story someday soon. Until then…you guys just keep making it up as you go.

“Character is revealed in chaos.â€

Following his arrest, prosecutors in Sarpy County, Neb., released a statement regarding the allegations surrounding Smith after he was initially taken into custody.

“During today's bond hearing, a prosecutor from the Sarpy County Attorney's Office offered the following information: It is alleged that on July 26, 2026, the defendant was involved in an altercation with his wife at a bar in Gretna, Neb., during which he reportedly threatened to kill her if she did not get into his vehicle and go home with him,†the statement said. “He is further accused of grabbing and pushing her inside the vehicle.

“At one point, during the drive, she was able to exit the vehicle. The defendant allegedly continued making threats, demanding that she get back inside the vehicle. After arriving home, she again exited the vehicle. Investigators allege that the defendant attempted multiple times to use the vehicle to strike her. The defendant's wife was able to get out of the way and avoid any physical harm.â€

Smith's wife (who is featured in the photo alongside her husband), Mikhala Renee Newman, made a brief statement of her own on social media defending the former UFC fighter.

“I love Anthony with every ounce of my being,†she wrote. “He is a good man, a great dad, and an incredible husband who loves us endlessly. Anyone that knows him can attest to that. They made a mental health struggle into something it wasn't. I am safe and always was safe. He would never hurt me. Ever. I called for help to protect him from himself.â€

During his most recent hearing, Smith was also granted permission to leave the country and travel to the Dominican Republic for “purposes of participating in a professional sporting event†from Sept. 27 to Oct. 3. Following his brief retirement from the UFC, Smith returned to participate in the Gamebred FC bare-knuckle MMA heavyweight tournament with the winner earning a $500,000 grand prize and he scored a submission win over Chase Sherman in his debut.

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Noche UFC Post Show: Reaction to Jean Silva’s big win, Tommy McMillen’s rise

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Noche UFC Post Show: Reaction to Jean Silva’s big win, Tommy McMillen’s rise

Jean Silva is back in the mix at 145 pounds.

On Saturday, Silva headlined the fourth iteration of Noche UFC, taking on Jose Miguel Delgado in the main event in Glendale, Arizona. And while he was slow to start, Silva was quick to finish, dropping Delgado in the third round and then tapping him with a one-armed rear-naked choke. Afterward, Silva called for the winner of the upcoming Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev title fight, but will he get it?

Following Noche UFC, MMA Fighting's Jed Meshew (and Alexander K. Lee for a brief moment) chopped it up about Silva's impressive performance and what that portends for his future. Jed then also discussed Brandon Moreno's win over Joseph Morales in the co-main event, the rise of Tommy McMillen as a new star, Alexa Grasso's return to form, and the rest of the action from Glendale.

Watch the Noche UFC post-fight show above, or an audio-only version of the show can also be streamed below and on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

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Ryan Garcia demolishes Conor Benn inside 2 rounds, calls out Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney

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Ryan Garcia demolishes Conor Benn inside 2 rounds, calls out Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney

Ryan Garcia needed less than five total minutes to demolish Conor Benn to successfully defend his welterweight title before potentially setting up two even bigger fights for the future.

While he was heavily favored to win, Garcia still had to get the job done and it's safe to say he passed that test with flying colors. Best known for a blistering left hand, Garcia showed off his power in the right after blasted Benn with a single shot that sent the British boxer to the canvas in a heap.

Benn managed to make it back to his feet but Garcia wasn't going to stop until he ended the fight as he just kept hammering away and the referee had no choice but to stop the contest. The end came at 1:25 in the second round as Garcia earned the knockout victory.

“I feel at peace,†Garcia said after his title defense. “I've always had a right hand but I've always had injuries. I want to thank Conor for great buildup and a great match. Viva Mexico!â€

Garcia's left hand was landing early and often with Benn trying to find his way inside to show off some of his own power. Benn tried to show off some power as he was digging to the body and then going back up to the head but Garcia was quick to fire back with some nasty shots of his own.

As the second round got underway, Garcia uncorked a hellacious right hand that blasted Benn and he fell to the canvas. Benn was able to get back to his feet to make the 10 count but Garcia wasn't going to give him a moment to breathe.

Garcia just started blasting away with punches as Benn was desperate to survive.

The assault continued with Garcia just unloading shot sand Benn couldn't do much of anything but absorb the punishment until the referee saw enough to stop the fight before any further damage was done.

Garcia's win once again establishes him as one of the top welterweights in the sport but there are still plenty of challenges awaiting him including a potential showdown against Teofimo Lopez, who was in the crowd, and the same goes for Devin Haney.

Garcia previously defeated Haney but a positive drug test overturned the result to a no-contest and the “King†had to serve a one-year suspension. Now he wants that one back as well.

“Teofimo, get that ass up here,†Garcia shouted into the crowd. “Where you at? He wants to get crazy, we can get crazy. I'll beat your ass right now!

“Hopefully we get to beat Devin Haney's ass again for undisputed. F*ck the Haney's!â€

Garcia is already viewed as one of the biggest names in the sport and he's only setting himself up for bigger and better fights with a performance like he had on Saturday. Now he effectively has his pick for potential opponents as he moves forward with his career into 2027 and beyond.

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Noche UFC 4 Bonus Report: Tommy McMillen one of four 'POTN' winners

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Noche UFC 4 Bonus Report: Tommy McMillen one of four 'POTN' winners

The Octagon returned to Arizona for tonight's Noche UFC 4 event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.

The 13-bout fight card was headlined by a men's featherweight bout featuring Jean Silva taking on Jose Delgado. The contest resulted in an amazing comeback win for Jean Silva. After being badly outpointed and dropped in the opening round, things did not really get a whole lot better for ‘Lord' in round two. Despite his slow start, Silva stormed back in round three by dropping Jose Delgado with a right hand and then securing a rear-naked choke to ultimately force a tapout just moments later. It was a big comeback win for the Brazilian, and one that puts him into immediate title contention at 145lbs.

Noche UFC 4 was co-headlined by a men's flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Joseph Morales. The matchup proved to be hard-fought back and forth affair. Morales got off to a good start, but the former champion was able to show his resilience by coming back strong in rounds two and three. After fifteen minutes of action, ‘The Assassin Baby' was awarded a much-needed split decision victory.

Following the conclusion of tonight's event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that 4 fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.

Fight of the night: Featherweight fighters Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki each pocketed $100k for their thrilling war on tonight's Noche UFC 4 main card. McMillen ultimately won the contest by unanimous decision (29–28 x2, 29–27).

Performance of the night: Jean Silva earned an extra $100k for his third-round submission victory over Jose Delgado in tonight's event headliner (see that here).

Performance of the night: Sean King pocketed an extra $100k for his 36-second knockout (slam) victory over Jessie Rosas (see that here).

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight's Noche UFC 4 event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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