Former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith will need surgery after suffering a broken ankle in his loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277.
Multiple outlets confirmed the news following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. The injury occurred when Smith threw a kick in the opening round of the light heavyweight bout at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
“Lionheart” nonetheless fought into the second round, before suffering a technical knockout loss at the 3:09 mark of the period. That snapped a three-bout winning streak for Smith. Ankalaev, meanwhile, has won nine consecutive fights.
It’s currently unclear how long Smith will be sidelined as a result of the injury.
More must-reads: