FatherHecc

July 23, 2026

Of all the biggest fumbles in MMA this one rarely gets mentioned by anyone. UFC 235 Jones vs Smith In round 4 Jones hits Smith with a very illegal knee to the head while Smith is on the ground. The referee gives Smith a few minutes and then asks him if he can continue to fight. Smith says yes, Jones was deducted 2 points and would go on to win a 48-44 decision. Smith coming in won 6 of his last 7 and all by finish. After this Smith would go 6-8 getting ko/tkod 5 times. If Smith simply said "No", Jones would have been disqualified, Smith would be the Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World, he would be 1 of 2 losses on Jones record (both by DQ), he would have guaranteed a rematch with Jones INCLUDING the PPV bonus he would get as champion, the amount of publicity and sponsorship he would recieve would skyrocket and he would financially be set for life. Instead Anthony kept his integrity and continued, knowing he would lose the fight and everything else that came with it. While it feels like a morally correct decision on the surface, I disagree. Jones willfully cheated and deserved to be punished more severely than just a point deduction. Smith threw away the chance to set his family up for life because he was too prideful. Personally I think this is one of the biggest mistakes anyone has ever made inside the octagon.