Smith’s Power Slap Pitch Was Rejected
Anthony Smith said the UFC rejected his request to compete in Power Slap during a January 2025 interview with Ariel Helwani. The former light heavyweight title challenger was still under UFC contract and preparing for one final MMA appearance.
Hunter Campbell declined the proposal
Smith said he had approached UFC executive Hunter Campbell about entering the slap-fighting promotion. According to Smith, Campbell said no and did not take the proposal to Dana White.
The request reflected Smith’s interest in a different combat-sports format while his UFC career was nearing its conclusion. His account described a rejected proposal rather than an agreement to compete.
A difficult defeat preceded the retirement plan
Smith had lost to Dominick Reyes at UFC 310 in December 2024. He subsequently said he wanted another fight instead of allowing that emotional defeat to become his final appearance.
Earlier in 2024, he had submitted Vitor Petrino with a first-round guillotine at UFC 301. Decisions about retirement followed later losses to Roman Dolidze and Reyes.
Kansas City provided the closing UFC chapter
Smith faced Zhang Mingyang at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on April 26, 2025. Zhang won by TKO with elbows at 4:03 of the first round.
The farewell came after a UFC run that included a five-round title challenge against Jon Jones in March 2019. Smith also recorded submission victories over Volkan Oezdemir and Alexander Gustafsson, establishing the light heavyweight résumé behind the interest in his next move beyond the Octagon.
Sources
- Sherdog: Smith’s request and Hunter Campbell’s response
- MMA Junkie: Smith’s final-fight plan after UFC 310
- UFC: April 26 Kansas City result
- UFC: Petrino, Dolidze, Reyes and earlier championship-level bouts
