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GLOVE N' HATE

Watch UFC ace Anthony Smith calmly hand his knocked out TEETH to ref after suffering broken eye-socket and nose in loss

ANTHONY SMITH suffered a broken eye-socket and had two teeth knocked out during his one-sided beating against UFC veteran Glover Teixeira.

The light-heavyweight pair, who both have losses to Jon Jones, headlined the UFC's Wednesday Fight Night in Florida, taking place just days after Tony Ferguson's brutal loss to Justin Gaethje.

 Anthony Smith lost teeth during his one-sided beating against UFC veteran Glover Teixeira
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Anthony Smith lost teeth during his one-sided beating against UFC veteran Glover TeixeiraCredit: Getty
 Lionheart also suffered a broken orbital bone and nose during Wednesday Fight Night in Florida
Lionheart also suffered a broken orbital bone and nose during Wednesday Fight Night in FloridaCredit: USA TODAY Sports
 Smith was forced to hand his fallen teeth to the referee during the fight
Smith was forced to hand his fallen teeth to the referee during the fightCredit: ESPN

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But just as 'The Highlight' did, Teixeira upset the odds to win in the fifth round and extended his winning streak to four in a row, having not lost since July 2018.

It was heartbreak for Smith, who started brightly but was left battered and bloodied by the time he was stopped in the final round.

In between the fourth and fifth rounds, Smith told his corner that his teeth were falling out and actually handed one to the referee during the fight as he was being pummelled.

He explained: “I couldn’t keep my mouthpiece in place due to the missing tooth.

“I looked down and it was on the canvas. So I grabbed it and handed it to him.”

I come out of battle with my shield or I come out on it. That's my rule. Period

Anthony Smith

Despite his many injuries, Smith's trainer did not stop the fight, with the understanding that it was just his veneers that was knocked out.

However, ESPN claimed 'Lionheart' was actually missing two of his real teeth as well; one tooth in the front and another towards the back.

The 31-year-old also suffered breaks to both his orbital bone and nose and was sent to hospital following the bout but he defended his corner for not stopping the fight earlier.

Smith added: "I'm good with the decisions the referee and my corner made. When the ref made it clear he needed to see something or he was gonna stop it, I did what I had to do to stay in the fight.

"I come out of battle with my shield or I come out on it. That's my rule. Period."

 Smith had started the faster in the light-heavyweight fight
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Smith had started the faster in the light-heavyweight fight
 Teixeira began to dominate Smith after the second round
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Teixeira began to dominate Smith after the second roundCredit: Getty Images - Getty

Smith, who bounced back from losing to Jones in 2019 by beating Alexander Gustafsson, came out in the first round sharp, regularly landing with right hands.

As he comfortably took the opening round, it appeared to be a similar story in round two, with the American picking off his Brazilian opponent.

But towards the end of the session Smith began to tire and by the third Teixeira had taken advantage.

A perfectly executed uppercut dropped Smith and allowed Teixeira to control the fight from the matt.

The 40-year-old relentlessly hammered away at his downed opponent but somehow the 'Lionheart' survived.

After the win, Teixeira said: “It's like what Rocky said, it's not how hard you hit, it's how hard you get hit and keep walking forward.

“The guy hits like a truck but I trained so hard and moved my head a lot."

Despite a brutal beating in round four, Smith's corner refused to throw in the towel, leaving the exhausted light-heavyweight a sitting duck heading into the final five minutes.

As Teixeira got the fight to the floor, he finally forced the finish and six years after losing against Jones for the belt, the Brazilian wants one more crack at the title.

He said: “I love a challenge I want to keep fighting the guys at the top, I have changed things, looked for help and opened my mind.

"I want another run for that title.”

 Teixeira wants one more crack at the UFC title
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Teixeira wants one more crack at the UFC title
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