Anthony Smith subdues home intruder, man arrested and charged

Photo Credit: Esther Lin - MMA Fighting

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger, Anthony 'Lionheart' Smith has detailed a shocking encounter with a home intruder at his premises on Sunday morning, which resulted in one of the "toughest" fights he's ever been involved in.

Smith, 31, explained the ordeal to ESPN writer, Ariel Helwani on Monday night, detailing how he was forced to subdue the intruder until police arrived at his house in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The intruder, Luke Haberman, was arrested and charged with first-degree criminal trespass and will attend court at a later date - after an exchange with Smith in his Omaha residence. Smith explained how his wife, woke him at around 4 a.m., frantically telling him a man was in the house. Smith got out of bed to investigate after he heard a "man's voice screaming at the top of his lungs". The 34-year-old stumbled upon Haberman with both men beginning to fight as Haberman approached him.

Smith told Helwani that the effort to subdue Haberman was "one of the toughest fights" he's ever had in his life. "I'm not lying when I said it was one of the toughest fights I've had in my whole life. I went into that fight ready to die. Nobody smart breaks into a house in the middle of the night unarmed. When they break-in at night, it's to hurt people." Smith lives with his wife, his three children, and his mother-in-law.

"I didn't know what he had," Smith explained. "Typically people don't break into your house in the middle of the night for any good reason. I'm expecting that I'm gonna hear a gunshot or he's gonna stab me. Like, he's got something. I figure I've got about two minutes before whatever he's got takes me out."

The Texas-born all-rounder detailed how the intruder took his licks, as Smith fired off punches, knees, and elbows during the almost five-minute exchange as he waited for police to arrive at the scene.

"No normal human being is able to fight like that," Smith told Helwani. "I'm by no means the baddest dude on the planet. But, he's a regular Joe and I had a hard time dealing with him. And, he took everything that I gave him - every punch, every knee, every elbow. He took every single one of them and kept fighting me."

Smith further explained that when police eventually arrived, Haberman apologised for breaking into his house.

On April 25th. Smith is scheduled to headline a UFC Fight Night event against fellow former light heavyweight title challenger, Glover Teixeira - something he still intends on doing despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and Sunday's morning's scuffle with Haberman.

"I gotta do what I gotta do. I've got a job I've gotta take care of. Glover is still good to go. He's still in. He's training, he's ready."

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