The UFC returned to Kansas City on Saturday for a Fight Night card topped by ranked welterweights, and featuring the retirement fight of Anthony “Lionheart” Smith in the co-headliner.
In a lengthy career that saw him compete first as a middleweight, then light heavyweight, Smith went all the way to a title shot against Jon Jones. And while he never could secure gold, he became a mainstay in the promotion, first as a reliable 205’er who headlined over a half dozen events, then as a part of the UFC‘s broadcast desk on numerous broadcasts.
Appearing as on-air talent usually signals a career coming to a close, and Smith’s retirement at 36, in his 60th fight, is far from surprising. His opponent, Zhang Mingyang, might raise a few eyebrows, but the Chinese light heavyweight is no doubt someone the UFC wants to invest in, with their continued push into the Chinese market.
In the main event, meanwhile, it’s Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry, who trains in Brazil, taking on Brazilian Carlos Prates of the red-hot Fighting Nerds gym.
Our picks are in for UFC Kansas City; here’s how we see the main card playing out.
| Writer / Fight | Aliskerov vs. Muniz | Brown vs. Dalby | Pereira vs. Magomedov | Chikadze vs. Onama | Smith vs. Mingyang | Garry vs. Prates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Law (44-23) |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| Alex Behunin (40-27) |  | |  |  |  |  |
| Brett Cagle (40-27) | | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (39-28) | | | | | | |
| Mathis Desjardins (38-29) | | | | | | |
| Chris Prawdzik (31-24) | | | | | | |
| Dylan Rush (0-0) | | | | | | |
Just a single unanimous selection this week, as absolutely no one thinks Nicolas Dalby is getting past Randy Brown in their welterweight fight. That might be a tad harsh on Dalby, with the fight likely much closer than it seems.
Zhang Mingyang is a heavy favorite to defeat Anthony Smith in his retirement fight, meanwhile. Just a single writer responding thinks Smith will go out on top.
The main event was somewhat lopsided with Ian Machado Garry favored by a 5-2 margin.
