Anthony Smith Home Invasion: Everything About Luke Haberman, the Man Accused of Breaking into UFC Star’s Home

Antoine Smith is ready to enter the arena against Victor Petrino In UFC 301. Losing only one fight in the light heavyweight division, Smith established himself as an adept fighter. With his strengths in the field of Jiu Jitsu, “Lionheart” has often given tough competition to his opponents.

Smith earned black belt in BJJ, his favorite weapon being the triangle choke. As soon as he takes the fight to the ground, “Lionheart” often attempts to submit his opponent via the triangular choke or its variations. Still, there was a time when Smith had to use his wrestling skills outside of the Octagon when his house was being invaded. To add to the thrill, the intruder gave Smith one of the toughest fights of all time. But how did the mixed martial artist have to face so much difficulty just to subdue a single intruder?

Who was Luke Haberman, the man who invaded Anthony Smith’s house?

In 2020, Smith recalled the incident in an interview with renowned MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. He revealed that the incident occurred around 4 a.m. Waking up to the sound of his wife warning him of the intruder, the mixed martial artist then confronted the intruder. His wife went straight to their children, kept them safe and called the cops.

After finding the invader in the living room, ‘Lionheart’ showed courage and fought with the intruder. Within 5 minutes, the cops arrived on the scene and the intruder was revealed to be a man named Luke Haberman. Haberman was charged with first-degree criminal trespass and was arrested.

It was later revealed that Haberman was a former high school wrestler, at Bishop Neumann Wrestling, Nebraska. According to Eastern European BJJ Records, he had an impressive record of 32 wins out of 43 matches played during his senior year. A 2017 graduate, Haberman was also a member of the Bishop Neumann varsity football team. No wonder he caused so much trouble for the fighter!

Haberman was released to the hospital following the issuance of a citation. Although the former wrestler was not taken into custody, he had to appear in court. Haberman didn’t steal anything from Smith’s house. And luckily, no one was injured during the entire incident. However, despite being nicknamed “Lionheart”, Smith was terrified.

Anthony Smith couldn’t take down Luke Haberman and felt terrified

After finding Haberman in the open living room space, Smith calculated all the possibilities and exercised extreme caution. But the mixed martial artist didn’t shy away from trouble. As Haberman recognized Smith’s presence in the room, he began walking toward him, as if trying to scare the light heavyweight fighter. Without a doubt, “Lionheart” believed he had a weapon hidden on him. Doing his best not to give Haberman a chance to reveal his allegedly concealed weapon, the UFC competitor charged into a fight.

Smith did not know that Haberman was a former high school wrestling champion. Smith revealed that Haberman took every attack he threw, which apparently terrified the professional fighter even more. “I had a hard time taking care of him. And he took everything I gave him. Every punch, every knee, every elbow. He took them all and continued to fight me. He added that it was indeed one of the most terrifying experiences a fighter has ever had. “You still think you’re a badass.” I just don’t feel like one, I feel a little inadequate. I didn’t know it was possible to be so terrified.

However, the past is in the past. Now, as Smith prepares to fight Petrino at UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, speculation and predictions have taken over the internet. Who do you think would win in the fight? Smith or Petrino? Head over to the comments below and let us know what you think.