Former UFC fighter Anthony Smith, who challenged Jon Jones for a title [Getty Images]
Former UFC fighter Anthony Smith, who challenged Jon Jones for a title [Getty Images]

Anthony Smith, a former UFC title challenger and current UFC commentator, has been indicted on charges of threatening to kill his wife. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Sarpy County prosecutors in Nebraska said Wednesday that Smith appeared at his first court hearing, where bail was set at $500,000 on the condition that he have no contact with his wife.

Smith is accused of threatening his wife during an argument at a bar in Gretna, Nebraska, telling her he would kill her if she did not come home with him. He then allegedly grabbed her and forced her into a vehicle.

Prosecutors said their investigation found that when Smith's wife escaped from the moving vehicle, he attempted to run her over multiple times. She avoided being struck and sustained no physical injuries. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued, and Smith turned himself in to authorities.

Smith, 38, faces three felony counts: first-degree domestic assault, terroristic threats and first-degree false imprisonment. A conviction on all three charges could result in a combined sentence of more than 20 years.

His next court date is set for Aug. 17. Neither Smith nor the UFC has issued a public statement on the matter.

Smith currently works as a desk analyst for UFC broadcasts. Though no longer an active UFC fighter, he came out of retirement to compete in a Gamebred Bare Knuckle MMA event in April, where he won.

Smith headlined multiple UFC events during his 25-fight UFC career and challenged Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 235 in March 2019, losing by decision. Among his most notable victories are wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Rashad Evans.


yjc@heraldcorp.com