Mikhala Renee Newman, the wife of former UFC fighter Anthony Smith, offered her first comments since her husband was arrested.
Smith was arrested in Nebraska on Monday on three felony charges of first-degree domestic assault, terroristic threats, and first-degree false imprisonment. He saw a judge on Wednesday and posted a $500,000 bond and was released on the condition that he not contact his wife. He is next set to be in court on August 17.
Anthony Smith’s Wife Reacts to Arrest
Taking to her social media, Smith’s wife — the alleged victim in the incident — shared her reaction to her husband’s shocking arrest.
“There’s not a lot I can say right now. I love Anthony with every ounce of my being! He is a good man, a great dad, and an incredible husband who loves us endlessly. Anyone that knows him can attest to that. They made a mental health struggle into something it wasn’t. I am safe and always was safe. He would never hurt me. Ever. I called for help to protect him from himself,” Newman wrote on Instagram.
Anthony Smith’s Next Steps
Smith will see a judge on August 17, at which point in time he will get more clarity about what the prosecution thinks about the case.
Smith, 38, fought in the UFC two times, in 2013 and then again from 2016 to 2025, going 13-12 over 25 fights in the organization.
He retired from MMA in 2025, but he returned in 2026 when he fought Chase Sherman in Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, winning that fight by first-round knockout.
Overall, Smith has a very good UFC career, and he even fought for the UFC light heavyweight title against Jon Jones in 2019.
Since retiring, Smith has been working as an analyst on the UFC on Paramount+ desk. However, his status with that job is now up in the air following this recent arrest incident.
Ultimately, we will have to let the legal process play out before casting judgment on Smith, though there is no doubt the details of the allegations about what happened during the arrest incident are extremely shocking and scary and paint Smith in a very negative light.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Anthony Smith’s Wife Offers 1st Comments Since Husband’s Arrest appeared first on HEAVY.