Several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been investigated and found to be correlated with the behaviours and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); Specifically, we revealed that the lncRNA UC001kfo was differentially expressed in HCC tissues compared with normal liver tissues using lncRNA microarrays, but its functional role in cancers, including HCC, has not yet been elucidated. The present study found that the expression of UC001kfo was upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines in comparison with tumour-adjacent tissues and normal hepatocytes, respectively. In addition, a high UC001kfo level was determined to be correlated with macro-vascular invasion and TNM stage of HCC. Specifically, patients with high UC001kfo expression displayed a significantly lower overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate. Moreover, both univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses identified TNM stage and high UC001kfo expression as risk factors for poor prognosis in HCC patients. In addition, UC001kfo was verified to promote the proliferation, metastasis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in HCC cells in both in vitro and in vivo assays. Mechanistically, α-SMA was indicated as a potential target gene of UC001kfo in mediating HCC metastasis. In conclusion, UC001kfo promotes HCC proliferation and metastasis by targeting α-SMA, and UC001kfo may potentially serve as a prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for treatment of HCC.