UFC President Dana White recently reacted to the arrest of former UFC star Anthony Smith and admitted that it could happen to anybody.

Smith was arrested on the 28th of July and charged with domestic violence, false imprisonment, and terroristic threats. He was later released on a $500,000 bond.

Anthony Smith was recently arrested, and his mugshot (inset) (Images via UFC.com and Central Oregon Daily)

It later came to light through the prosecution that Smith had threatened to kill his wife and even attempted to strike her with his vehicle. There were even claims that gunshots were heard from inside his house later, once they had gone indoors.

Reacting to the same, Dana White admitted to being a bit surprised to see it happen to someone like Smith. Speaking to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, White said:

He’s one of those guys – you don’t expect to see that happen. Personal experience, it can happen to anybody. I don’t know enough about it…I hope it works out for him, and his family, and his kids.

Check out Dana White’s comments on Anthony Smith’s arrest below:

White went on to add that the UFC “does so much stuff for the fighters,” including the ones who have hung up their gloves.

We do so much stuff for the fighters. Not just the ones that are under contract with us, but the ones that used to be to.

Anthony Smith is Still Active in MMA

Although Anthony Smith had his retirement fight in the UFC a year ago (April 2025) against Zhang Mingyang, he still professionally competes in MMA.

Anthony Smith retired from the UFC back in April 2025 (Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon – USA TODAY Sports)

‘Lionheart’ most recently competed in Jorge Masvidal’s ‘Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA promotion in April 2026, and took on Chase Sherman. The fight also marked Smith’s heavyweight debut. Almost three-and-a-half minutes into the first round, the 38-year-old earned a submission win (via rear-naked choke).

Smith’s MMA record currently reads 39-22.

Gerard Crispin

Gerard Crispin is an editor and writer with expertise across MMA, Football, Tennis, Cricket, NBA and F1. He has published over 3500 articles in Combat Sports, across multiple websites, viz. Sportskeeda, FanSided MMA, MediaReferee, FirstSportz and PFSN. Crispin currently covers UFC for LowKickMMA.