Anthony Smith set to have surgery on broken ankle following TKO loss at UFC 277
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith is set to have surgery on his broken ankle following his TKO loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277.
Smith suffered the injury near the end of the first round of his opening main card pay-per-view bout against Ankalaev at UFC 277. At the end of the round, Smith limped back to his corner and then asked them to apply ice to it. In the second round, Ankalaev was able to get Smith to the ground and then finish him off with strikes for a TKO victory. Following the fight, Smith had trouble walking to the locker room, and the fear was that he suffered a broken leg in the fight.
However, it turns out it was not a broken leg, but rather a broken ankle, with MMA reporter Ariel Helwani confirming via Twitter that Smith is indeed having surgery on his broken ankle.
Anthony Smith suffered a broken left ankle Saturday night in his fight against Magomed Ankalaev, Smith tells me this evening. It will require surgery.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 2, 2022
Anthony Smith suffered a broken left ankle Saturday night in his fight against Magomed Ankalaev, Smith tells me this evening. It will require surgery.
It’s an unfortunate injury for Smith, who was riding a three-fight win streak heading into the fight with Ankalaev and looking like a title contender at 205lbs once again. However, this injury will likely keep him out for several months and put an end to his 2022 campaign given the severity of it.
It will be interesting to see what Smith does going forward. Although he is a top-10 fighter in the division, he also has other things going on for him outside of fighting, including doing analysis and commentary on the ESPN desk. It’s possible Smith could continue working during his time off due to the injury. Either way, the hope is Smith recovers quickly and is able to fight again in 2023.
What do you think is next for Anthony Smith after he heals up from the broken ankle he suffered against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 277?
