1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - UFC Fighter and Commentator Anthony "Lionheart" Smith IN STUDIO (part 3): July 15th

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

UFC Fighter and Commentator Anthony "Lionheart" Smith IN STUDIOAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

It's time to go one-on-one with D.P. Coming at you live from the heart of Lincoln America, a 93-7-a-ticket and the ticketfm.com. Here is your host, Derek Pearson, brought you by Canopy Street Market. Boom. In your face. In your face. Live on a Tuesday, DP one-on-one. You can be a part of what we're doing.

The Sartar-A-Hammer text line. 402, 4, 6, 4, 6,85, you want to be a part of the show, and we will get to all the text that you've been putting out. You guys have been active. We appreciate your patience. Normally, we shout you out right away, but we're getting to it because we have a special guest in studio for another hour, and we will get to it. You can follow on all of the live video streams, Facebook, YouTube X, Allo Channel 961, and the ticket app. Download the ticket app, so we go where you go, wherever you're at we want to be. So, download the app.

And if you're fancy, Amazon Prime. Yeah, some of you are really boozy with the Amazon Prime and watching to get the reports. Special guests in studio, Bach, we have, we have one more, don't we? Yeah, we get one. We have one more. Let's set the table. Shogun's on his heels. He comes up.

He's on the pressure on. How is he still standing? Right. And he's right. impressive for Lionard Smith. It is fantastic. Anthony Lionheart Smith joins us here on one-on-one.

He's been here for an hour. Greatly appreciate him making time because he is, I like to talk about how busy I am, but no. Anthony Lionheart Smith is all over the globe, any given time. And then all the things in place with family and friends and life. And I appreciate you making time.

And here's why it is not without cause and mission, because Anthony and I have been talking incessantly, repeatedly, constantly that Anthony Leonard Smith, you need to do something with the ticket. That's true. We've been at it for a while.

We've been at, look, people don't know how long it takes to get Anthony Smith across the line. Bach, you, like, and Bach knows how persistent I am about things that, you talk about that dog bone mentality, that once I'm set on something,

I can't. I can't. Now I'm respectful. I'm like, he's retired, so I'm going to let him have his time. But as soon as he pops his head out of the ground. Anthony! It was as soon as I did too. It was right away.

He said, okay, he's back. He's back. What are we going to do? What are we doing here? Let's do this. And this is the beauty of it is that, again, we're fluid here at the station. We make a point to make it easy for people to do content and to do shows. And your schedule was crazy.

I know how. how crazy your schedule is because I know how crazy it is when I go to a UFC event, it is all consuming in full from Monday to Sunday when you finally tap out and go home, right? And so, yeah, Anthony, if an hour a week seems out of 168, give me one, but I also understand that you have a lot of orders in the water. There for a while, I was like, where am I going to find one? Just one hour. So we said, listen, if your show would be so good that I already see multiple shows.

I see multiple podcasts because one, just you talking about the fight game, you talking historically about the fight game and the future of the fight game because it constantly evolves, right? All the time. Right. And then the conversation. of Anthony talking life with these fighters and other athletes and these coaches. I can't wait to get you and Mark Manning in the same studio. I can't wait to be in there with him. Because I got so many things I want to ask him.

I got 10 questions I would ask right now. But that's just the thing, right? And he's a big fan of yours. And I know you're a big fan of his. And being around the wrestlers. I mean, AJ Ferrari was in here. Oh, man. Was in here.

Don't get me going on AJ Ferrari. I need to get. That's just it. How do we get me? me in a chair across from AJ Ferrari. That's what I I'm going to call him on the next break and we're going to make that happen. Oh, I would love that. Like to get you, Ridge

Love it, Antrell Taylor, like Brock Hardy. My daughter loves Antroo. She would lose her mind if she found out I was able to do it. We're going to make that happen. I love Antroo. You know. Rich love it. I love Ridge as well. He's an amazing athlete.

Ridge is taken over. So we created the first. Take on Tuesday wrestling show. Each week, every Tuesday, at o'clock the husker wrestlers come in ridge love it that's where i'll be right that at least for one of them right like that's the thing and because the type of athletes that that coexist in that space you're so similar and then i tell them too that listen what they do what wrestlers do to to exist even on an average level yeah to be a good college wrestler to be great and be a national champion

It's different. Like different space. So yes, we need to make those conversations because I want you talking to Ridge Lovett. I want you talking to A.J. Ferrari. Those are spaces that we have to make it happen. We've got, you know, we talked to Young Tidin, Luke Lindenmeyer from Husker football. His story is so unique. Those are the people that we want to get in the room with you.

So that's what we're talking about. Yeah, I'm in. That's a lot of fun. Yeah, we need to make. I was thinking about AJ Ferrari on my drive. I was like, man, I got to talk to that guy. He's so fascinating. I'll give you the number and connect it and just say,

because he came in, he did a full hour, was exceptional. He was absolutely AJ. Oh, for sure. He don't know any other way to be. Like, he was full Ferrari. And then the question was, I mean, because again, he was under the development.

He had the WWE development. But the idea for me was, how does he make that? decision between UFC and WWE. How do you, how would that even happen? Like how, like, how do you make the decision like him personally? Yeah, to go, once he's done with, with freestyle wrestling, that he, he's, his personality is built for professional for sure, sports and entertainment. The transition, the Cormieres in the world have built a bridge between collegiate wrestling and UFC and MMA. I think that bridge is.

smaller now. That's what I want to ask. So, excuse me. Why is that, though? Because guys are getting so good, so early, so young. The days of the Raina Coutures, the Daniel Cormier's, the Brock Lesnar's, the list goes on.

How many of those names have you heard recently that have been able to transition from another sport and be successful early? Bo Nichols trying, but he's an anomaly. And he got the awakening. And he's not doing that way. Because if we're just being honest here,

and that's what I'm here for. I'm not here to tell you what you want to hear. I'm going to tell you the truth. Bo Nichols not very good. He's not very good at fighting. An amazing, an amazing wrestler, generational talent. There is not another Boe Nickel.

If David Taylor didn't exist, Boe Nickel has an Olympic gold medal. It has a world championship gold medal if David Taylor never existed. That's kind of, unfortunately for Bo, that's just the situation that he's in. if John Jones never existed on the champion of the world at that time. Even with John Jones, okay, so let's go there. Let's go there.

That you had to make what I think is the most unique, frictional decision that a human being and a true warrior has to make, that in your battle for the world's heavyweight champion, Light Heavyweight Championship against the best to ever do it. He fouls. And by rule, you are officially the champion of the world. If I don't continue. And with blood streaming out of several orifices,

for sure. It was a hard knee. Right. It was a hard knee. A knee to the head, you make the decision. Nope, that's not how I want the strap. I said, I'm all right. The millions of dollars.

And social media is really good at identifying. Does he know how much money he just turned down? I know. I can tell you almost down to the penny. It's a lot. It's a lot. Right? And not given to you.

Those are the rules. Yeah. In that decision. And I made that three times in the rematch. Right. Like the clause is there. You can make that decision and go through. what it's hard to ask what the thinking was because in the moment you just took a need to the head.

Well, there was no thinking. There was no decision. I think that's the most fascinating part that people don't understand. There was no decision to be made. It's not like they came up to me and said, hey, do you want to continue? Are you okay? If you don't continue, then you're going to win this fight. Therefore, you win the world championship.

We talked earlier about my ego. getting in the way. At times, my ego controls every part of me. And sometimes we use the word ego. I would say my pride is probably a better way of putting, as a better word to use in that scenario. I never once considered not continuing. My only plan was to get to my feet as fast as I could

because I didn't want John to know that I was hurt. I didn't want him to see it. And the one thing that's, it's been a blessing and a curse in my life, I don't have the ability to say, I can think it, but I don't have the ability to make the actions with my mouth to say, I can't do it. It's not possible. I've never once said, like audibly, I can't do it. or this is too much or i'm too hurt or i can't continue i've never ever said it out loud i've thought it a bunch but i continue to do the thing that i'm telling myself i can't do i just put one foot in the other it's absolutely required to be in the space that you're in you have you have to you have to

and even if we go back to the glover to share fight i win the first three rounds it's during covid i'm you know none of us have the gym situation fortunate glover owns his own gym so we could do what he wanted but you know we're struggling and trying to train the best we can, but nobody's really ready to fight. Right. So I went through the first three rounds, and then he absolutely dogwalks me for the next two. My teeth are falling out of my mouth. I knew that there was no light at the end of that tunnel. But I think what I would have, you remember there was all the controversy that my corners

didn't throw in the towel. And I took the ability away from them to do that long ago. That if you guys throw the towel in on me while I'm fighting, I'll never make that walk with you ever again. So by me taking that ability away from them leaves it all on me. Now I have to say it. But we both know I'm not going to be able to say it. And it's, I'm not going to be able to say it.

But most, most listeners don't know that that is your decision. It is. And it's not always the fighter's decision. Because sometimes the leverage is different, right? But the manager has that jack to do that. But not in your case. And listen, for anybody to ever watch you fight once, you know, that your fight is never over until it is.

No, and I make peace with that before I go in. I spend an entire training camp mentally preparing for what I have to be willing to do. I make peace with it the day that I wake up, I make sure that I talk to my kids, that I have an incredible conversation with them. If they're in town, we laugh, we go to lunch. But the whole time I know, I have to be willing to leave there not the same way that I went in. and so I make peace with that before I go in that there's a great chance

I'm going to leave a piece of myself in there 58 fights how many of them did you leave the way you came in zero zero right like that some people you leave more of a piece you leave a little more of yourself in it well but you left everything

when you dropped the gloves you left everything that you're able to leave that's all I had that's all I had I gave it all that's all I got and again that part of it, like there's that mystique, that fighter warrior mystique, that you're able to make that decision and give everything.

Most of us, you have a cold, they'd call in sick that day. Right. That's not a part of your being or your process. No, because I would have to say it. You'd have to admit it. I would have to admit it. I'm not, I'm not on point. And again, I've watched you.

If it wasn't for my wife and kids, I'd still be fighting. Okay, so break that down for me as best as you can. Because at some point it's not about me anymore. I went into this, you know, with that mantra after the spaghetti thing, world champion or die trying. Yeah. Well, we reached a spot where that wasn't going to happen. So I've gotten too old.

And it's less about my age, it's more about the miles. My body's just failing. It's 58 fights. That's a lot. Well, there's 25 amateur fights of before that. So my body's failing me and kind of double-crossing me. So I feel like I'm okay, but I'm not. My ability to absorb the damage, not so much in my head, but in my body isn't there.

My legs can't take the kicks anymore. My body can't take the punches anymore. I've been doing it for almost 20 years. I just can't take it anymore. So I could continue to fight, and I'd win more often than I wouldn't, but I'm still beat most of those guys. You retired. I mean, you were in top 15 in the world. For sure. I still be most of the guys in the world.

But I have, you know, I have a 13 year old daughter that's almost 6-2, so 165 pounds, an absolute athletic freak of a 10-year-old that's an absolute savage, is coming right up behind her. I have an 8-year-old that wrestles that I help coach a wrestling team. At some point, it has to be about them. I spent 20 years chasing this dream. I spent the entire lives of all of my children in out when I'm gone for six weeks, you know, Monday through Friday, I'm back on the weekends, and then I'm working the desk, and then I'm doing all these things. At some point, my dream has to be put aside, and theirs have to matter, because now their stuff is taking up a lot of time.

Well, then I started missing a lot of their stuff, and that's not something I'm willing to do, not long term. Here and there, if you've got to miss a, miss a game here, you're going to, you know, like, that's just life. That's part of being a parent. You're not always going to get both parents at every single thing for years and years and years. but it was becoming too much. It was becoming too much. And then you start to wonder, is the juice worth the squeeze?

I already have a lot of, I wouldn't say the regrets, but a lot of worries that, this is all they know. They only know me as a fighter. I have a three-year-old that's going to be, she's young enough that she's not going to remember how cool I used to be.

So then what do I stand on? The other three think I'm cool. What do I stand on there? Like I have to just be a dad. Like she's, I just got to be a good dad because that's all she's going to remember. I have a sneaky suspicion. You're going to be cool dad for a lot.

I mean, I'm hoping so. Like I'm going to go out on a limb there and think that there are some things in your future that they're going to go, my dad is amazing. I hope so. But it's just, it's this time for them. You know, like volleyball recruiting starts early.

And my oldest is absolutely. a division of talent. So it's got to be about her. Well, you know, we know a place. I'm on it. We know a place. I'm on it. It's right down the street. Yeah, we're already on it. Yeah, we can call Danny and I don't want to say this out loud, but right now her choices are Nebraska or Texas. So we just need to, we need to get rid of that. Oh, oh, horns down. Yeah. That's what I said. That's what you know. Anthony. We're like, no, no, no, no, get her. We get her here. I, you know how I've been been convincing her she got to stay home. Wherever you go to to college, I still got college eligibility left.

So you want to make your whole family move to wherever you go. And you might as well to stay home. And all your, all your dates. Having dad with the traffic distance. You want to be 19 years old with your dad on every date. You know what I love about what you just said? You know what I love with you? Vock will co-sign this.

What I love that he didn't say was the other place in Omaha. He said Nebraska or Texas. Hey, this is why you tell Husker Nation is real. I want to say it. I won't even say it. You know, I have mad for so much mad respect. Listen, that's a part of the deal. I'm Jalen Rayo is, is, I've met Jalen.

Yeah, good, great guy. That's another one in the conversation. Great, great athletes himself, as a matter of fact, in the space. I want to talk through and again, full disclaimer. Zero chance we can get to everything we need to get through in the course of this. I guess we have to keep doing this. We're going to have to keep doing it. We're going to have to keep doing it.

You heard him. You heard him. Finding contract. We'll go to break. We'll come back. Anthony Lanhart-Smith. I want to talk about the state of the UFC net. Because there are some fights that need to be made.

I want some insight on the superstars. I'm just going to name drop and get your immediate response about who I name. And I will remind Bach to have the dump button ready. You're going to need that button. You're going to need that button. Especially with the redact. recent news we've come out the last couple days. You have to be on that button. Right. There's

some things to talk about and Anthony has access and he certainly has a voice. Anthony, thank you for what you're doing. He'll be right back with us here on one on one.