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Smith is set to fight Jordan Heiderman in the main event of Gamebred Bare-Knuckle MMA 12 on Oct. 2 in the Dominican Republic. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight was arrested in Sarpy County, Nebraska, in July following an alleged altercation with his wife. Smith is currently out on bail and faces four felony charges.
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Gamebred FC explains decision to book Anthony Smith against Jordan Heiderman
Smith’s wife came out in his support soon after the arrest. Meanwhile, the former UFC title challenger recently issued a statement, promising to tell his version of the story soon. Gamebred FC also released a statement, explaining their stance.
While Gamebred FC isn’t undermining the charges against Smith, they consider him innocent until proven otherwise. Gamebred FC also wants to allow Smith to continue to earn while he deals with his legal issues.
“As we announce Anthony Smith’s return to the Gamebred FC cage, I want to speak directly about where our organization stands,” Gamebred FC president and COO Lex McMahon wrote in the statemen. “Anthony is facing serious allegations, and like every person in this country, he is entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence while his case moves through the courts. He has pleaded not guilty and that process deserves to play out fully and fairly on its own timeline, without a promotion, a headline, or public opinion getting ahead of the facts. Anthony also has a family to provide for and competing is how he does that. Taking away his ability to earn a living before he has had his day in court is not something Gamebred FC is willing to do to him or to the people who depend on him. Jorge and I have known Anthony and his family for years. What we have seen, up close and over time, is a loving, devoted husband and father — nothing else. That doesn’t mean we are closing our eyes to what has been reported. It means that we also know there is more to this story than has made it into the headlines. And we believe Anthony deserves the chance to tell it fully, in the appropriate setting, not through speculation. Our support for Anthony going forward is not a statement on the specifics of the case — those will be decided by the court, as they should be. It is a statement about fairness, about due process, and about standing by someone we know until we are given real reason not to. We will have no further comment on the legal proceedings and ask that Anthony and his family’s privacy be respected as this continues.”
Smith (39-22) exited the UFC following a loss to Mingyang Zhang last year. “Lionheart” has since knocked out Chase Sherman in his bare-knuckle MMA debut at Gamebred FC this past April.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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