New UFC signee Elijah Smith sees Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley and Cory Sandhagen as fights he will have “at some point.”
[autotag]Elijah Smith[/autotag] thinks there’s no better division in the UFC currently than bantamweight, and he’s keen to make his mark in it.
Smith (7-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is one of the newest members of the UFC roster after earning a contract on this past Tuesday’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series. He earned a unanimous decision win over Aaron Tau in the featured bout of the card, which he took on roughly two weeks’ notice as a replacement.
At just 22, the future for Smith seems bright. He said his showing at DWCS 72 was only a portion of what he’s capable of, and he did it under unideal circumstances.
“I was not even close to 100 percent,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “I would say I probably went into that fight like 70, 75 percent. I play UFC 5 (video game) and I have my own created player and in the game in career you have weeks you’re supposed to go through training camp so when you get to the fight you have 100 percent energy and health is good. I probably went into that fight probably around 75 percent, so I didn’t get to show the world and Dana White the full Elijah Smith. I was happy I got to put on a performance that I was happy with.”
Now that he’s been inked to a UFC contract, there’s going to be nowhere for Smith to hide in the 135-pound division. He likes it that way, he said, because it won’t be long before we seen if his status as a blue chip prospect multiplies.
Smith has expectations of greatness for his career, and said he is already excited for the day he gets to share the octagon with some of the elite names.
“It’s really exciting,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t want to be in any other weight class because this is the most exciting in the UFC. I’ve been watching these guys since – who really made me become a fan of the division is T.J. Dillashaw. When he beat (Renan) Barao I was like, ‘Oh man.’ Then he beat Cody Garbrandt twice, I’m like, ‘This is the division to be in.’ You’ve got Dominick Cruz. There’s so much history in this division and I want to add onto this history.
“I want to keep building because I think this is the best division in the UFC. When I see guys like Merab (Dvalishvili) and Sean O’Malley and (Cory) Sandhagen and all these guys in the top 10, top five. It’s like, we’re going to run into each other at some point in time. It’s going to be bittersweet fighting them because I’m a fan of all of them, but it’s a business.”
It’s Smith’s intention to build himself up to being one of the best in the world, and with that create a story for himself that stands on his own. Smith said he is currently relishing the historic nature of his UFC entry and how it ties to his father, but over time, he hopes that fades and he’s looked at as an individual.
“I am ready to create my own story,” Smith said. “They’re always going to bring that up because my dad is going to be in my corner every fight that I have in the UFC and I think they’re going to continuously bring that up, but as I continue on with my career, I think that’s slowly going to die out because I will be creating a name for myself. There’s nothing wrong with living on my father’s shadow and carrying on my own name, but I do want to start veering off and creating a name for myself and my own story.”
Elijah Smith made UFC history at Dana White’s Contender Series 72.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Elijah Smith[/autotag] made history at Dana White’s Contender Series 72.
Smith (7-1) earned a UFC contract Tuesday after he defeated Aaron Tau (8-1) by unanimous decision at the UFC Apex. Smith is the son of former UFC fighter Gilbert Smith, who made two appearances on “The Ultimate Fighter” and competed once officially in the UFC. Gilbert and Elijah Smith join Randy and Ryan Couture as just the second father-son duo in UFC history.
“I’m super happy and super grateful because I know how hard he worked to get this vision started and going,” Smith told MMA Junkie and other reporters Tuesday at a post-fight news conference. “My dad made his own gym back in 2009, Victory MMA, and to be his first fighter in the UFC, I know I made him proud tonight. I know that.”
Smith took the fight on two-and-a-half weeks’ notice against City Kickboxing’s Tau. While he’s overwhelmed with the historic moment, he knows the hard work starts now.
“It doesn’t stop here,” Smith said. “I understand that the road only gets tougher, but we only get better from here. So, to be the second (father-son duo), wow, what a journey it’s been these last four-and-a-half years.
“It’s been such a crazy, wild ride. I couldn’t even imagine something like this back in 2019. We’re here, I’m 22 years old, just turned 22, so this was a late birthday gift to myself.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 72.
With a simple but digestible format that has had the MMA fanbase responding, this series has shown to have legs in multiple ways while serving as a crockpot for contenders the UFC matchmakers can use to fill their roster for future events. With that trend in mind, I once again will be taking a look at the winning fighters, regardless of whether or not they won a UFC contract, and grading their performances in regard to their probability of returning to a UFC stage.
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Ahmad Hassanzada
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 17: Ahmad Hassanzada of Afghanistan prepares to face Dylan Mantello in a lightweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Summary: Setting the tone for the night was a war of attrition between [autotag]Ahmad Hassanzada[/autotag] and Dylan Mantello.
It may not have been a display of the highest level of technique, but I felt obligated to bump Hassanzada’s grade up a bit after the insane effort he put forth to dig deep and finish this fight.
Hassanzada had his normal strong start, stealing the initiative with southpaw aggression that offered everything from overhands to (ill-advised) spinning assaults. But after the legendary Ray Longo lit a fire under Mantello’s ass in between rounds, the Long Island native came out and knocked Hassanzada known in the following frame, piecing the Afghan up at a 3-1 ratio.
However, despite being dead tired after Round 2, Hassanzada came out like hell on wheels, determined to take it to his opponent. After eventually getting Mantello to the fence, Hassanzada was able to impressively take the Serra-Longo fighter’s back in a scramble and secure the rear-naked choke for the win.
Despite Dana White being visibly displeased about bringing the fighter from Afghanistan aboard (stating that it was on behalf of UFC matchmaker, Sean Shelby), I’m glad that Hassanzada received a chance in the big show.
Hassanzada’s technique and defense have a lot of room for improvement of the feet, but a durable, southpaw action fighter who can competently wrestle and grapple makes for dependable entertainment, as well as a deceptively tough test for potential prospects on the way up.
With that in mind, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hassanzada booked against someone like Jordan Vucenic before year’s end.
Ateba Gautier
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 17: (R-L) Ateba Gautier of Cameroon battles Yura Naito of Japan in a middleweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Summary: Despite being on the right end of a complete physical matchup, I still felt that [autotag]Ateba Gautier[/autotag] deserved a strong B for maintaining his cool early en route to a second-round stoppage over Yura Naito.
Regardless of what the betting lines may have said, I kinda hate to see such comical mismatches made by the matchmakers like this.
Aside from the fact that they usually provide minimal feedback regarding skills ceilings, they also perpetuate the athletic stereotypes (on both sides) that tend to sadly take precedence for many when analyzing or discussing these fighters. That said, there were a couple of solid takeaways from this fight.
On the positive side, Gautier – who was put on his back by Naito fairly early in the fight – kept his cool and did not look to tire despite being wrestled for the better half of Round 1.
On the more critical side, however, Gautier – thought still clearly young in his career – appeared a bit lost for options when working from his back.
I don’t blame Gautier for being more on the raw side given the matchmakers’ recent booking trends of bringing aboard fighters who are still arguably in the freshman years of their careers. That said, Gautier is in the big show now and will need to shore up his grappling and getup game given the steady supply of submission specialists that middleweight tends to provide.
For my money, I suspect that the matchmakers will pair Guatier up with someone like Robert Valentin for his first official UFC assignment.
Benjamin Bennett
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 17: Benjamin Bennett battles Joey Hart in a welterweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Summary: Disagreeing with the decision aside, I had a hard time getting to a B for [autotag]Benjamin Bennett[/autotag] given the lack of impactful action that his style produced in the first two frames.
Joey Hart had the more dynamic, eye-catching offense at distance, doing a decent job of utilizing his range. Whether Hart was measuring with his jab or countering off of Bennett’s jabs, the 27-year-old made a good account for himself standing.
Bennett, who came out of the gate looking like your standard wrestle-boxer archetype, was able to steadily pull away within wrestling exchanges as the fight went on, but valiantly decided to stand his ground and go blow-for-blow with Hart in Round 3.
I really liked the pivots off of shot entries and subsequent dirty boxing from Bennett, but it was too little, too late – at least when it came to impressing Dana White.
Considering the UFC president’s history of not favoring wrestle-heavy fighters, I wasn’t shocked to see him deny Bennett come contract time. That said, Bennett (who comes off like the character Waingro in the film HEAT) won me over with his post-fight interview with Lauro Sanko, and I hope that he gets consideration from the matchmakers down the road.
Tallison Teixeira
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 17: (L-R) Talisson Teixeira of Brazil punches Arthur Lopes of Brazil in a heavyweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Summary: Despite this fight being sloppier than a steak a Truffoni’s, I had a hard time denying [autotag]Tallison Teixeira[/autotag] the bare minimum B- for coming in and getting the job done early with a first-round finish.
Teixeira’s opponent, granted, was a severely out-sized former welterweight who has only fought once since 2018 (hence the underwhelming grade given), but the “Xicao” was able to keep his cool and eventually find a fight-ending counter that forced Garry Copeland to call an end to the contest.
Teixeira still looks incredibly raw with some porous defense standing, but given the clear but not often talked about lowered bar that exists at heavyweight, I was not surprised to see Dana White get giddy at the prospects of another big man to fill out his main cards with.
I was surprised to see White not even mention the obvious defensive holes that Teixeira displayed, but suspect that those things will be exposed soon enough. Hopefully the matchmakers throw Teixeira in there with another tall, over-inflated athlete like Robelis Despaigne so that we can at least get a fun freakshow fight out of this signing.
Elijah Smith
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 17: (L-R) Elijah Smith punches Aaron Tau of New Zealand during Dana White’s Contender Series Season Eight, Week Six at UFC APEX on September 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Summary: Considering that [autotag]Elijah Smith[/autotag] was arguably the most complete fighter on the card, I couldn’t deny him an A for his all-out war with Aaron Tau.
Smith may have noticeably faded toward the end of Round 2, but given his size and frame (and the fact he took this fight on short notice), I feel like we can cut the American a bit of slack in this spot. More importantly, Smith was ultimately able to answer the call in the final frame while under some severe pressure from a relentlessly tough Tau.
Smith obviously carries some sharp striking in tow, but I was particularly impressed with his positional awareness in clinch and counter-wrestling situations, as well as his scrambling and getup game from the bottom. Even though I have strong suspicions that Smith will finish his career as a featherweight or lightweight given his insanely large build as a bantamweight, I believe that the 22-year-old can compete with the lower-to-middle pack of the division today.
That said, I hope that the UFC takes their time with Smith (as much as they can, anyway) considering his age. As excited as I am for prospects like Smith or Joshua Van, part of me worries about the potential developmental hurdles and premature lessons long term given the dynamic of the UFC business model and its brutal schedule.
As far as Smith’s first booking is concerned, don’t be shocked to see him paired up with someone like Steven Koslow or Quang Le.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 72.
Dana White’s Contender Series cards see prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC CEO Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
The sixth week of the eighth season saw 10 fighters compete for their shot at a UFC contract. In the feature bout at bantamweight, undefeated City Kickboxing fighter Aaron Tau clashed with Elijah Smith.
The UFC Apex hosts the card, which streams live on ESPN+.
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Who won a UFC contract?
At the conclusion of the event, White handed out UFC contracts to all five winners: Ahmad Hassanzada, Ateba Gautier, Tallison Teixeira and Elijah Smith, who makes history as the second second-generation UFC fighter with his father, UFC veteran Gilbert Smith. They join Randy Couture and Ryan Couture as fighters to accomplish the feat.
Round 1 – Hassanzada comes out of the gate fighting like an absolute wild man. He throws multiple spinning attacks and is completely reckless early on, but Mantello fends through it and doesn’t take significant damage. Hassanzada lands a big takedown, though, and immediately threatens with a rear-naked choke. Mantello escapes but can’t create much space. Hassanzada keeps on with the grappling pressure to close out a clear round in his favor.
MMA Junkie scores the first round 10-9 for Hassanzada.
Round 2 – Mantello lands a massive straight right hand that folds Hassanzada in the first 20 seconds of the round! Hassanzada somehow pops back to life and goes after the legs and avoids some follow up shots. He presses Mantello against the cage wall and is recovering while he tries for a takedown. Mantello can’t get Hassanzada off his legs but he’s landing some punches and elbows from close range. Mantello finally gets a takedown and in side control while Hassanzada tries to tie up his arms and legs from bottom position. Mantello is trapped but seemingly not in danger of being tapped. Referee Keith Peterson breaks up the fighters as he appears to think Hassanzada is stalling, and the bout returns to the feet. Hassanzada shots for a sloppy takedown and looks absolutely exhausted. Mantello is stalking him and loading up on big shots. Hassanzada slips on a spinning backfist attempt and Mantello asks him to stand up. Mantello lands some late stinging shots to close out a strong and entertaining rebound round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Mantello.
Round 3 – Mantello lands a nice early spinning backfist attempt as the pair trade shots. Hassanzada fires back with one of his own but it lacks force. Mantello lands another huge right hand that snaps Hassanzada’s head back. Hassanzada presses forward with some shots of his own and is rediscovering striking success. Hassanzada shoots for a pair of disparate low takedowns, but Mantello stays on his feet near the fence. Hassanzada scoops out his legs and takes the back of Mantello with a body triangle. Hassanzada is controlling the position and locks in a tight rear-naked choke! Mantello tries to fend it off but decides to go to sleep instead of tapping. Hassanzada wins after a very tough middle frame.
Ahmad Hassanzada gets the third round submission 👏
Round 1 – Gautier comes out with bad intentions behind his shots as Naito is clearly keen to get the fight to the ground. Naito is met with elbows in his attempt to get the fight to the mat off the cage, and Gautier manages to escape. Gautier loads up on a massive knee that just nearly misses Naito diving for the ankle, and this time he has the takedown. Naito goes to work from top position as Gautier tries to tie him up. Gautier tries to scoot to the fence to get up, but Naito is controlling well and landing some solid punches and elbows from on top to close the round.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Naito.
Round 2 – It’s a similar start to the round with Gautier loading up for a kill shot on the feet and Naito cautiously navigating around that. He gets Gautier’s back to the fence and starts trying to pull out the legs for a takedown, but Gautier manages to spin free. Gautier lands a big overhand then two huge shots moments later that sent Naito hard to the mat. Gautier pounces on top trying to finish but Naito somehow survives for the time being. Gautier is chipping away with ground-and-pound and after a few moments finally postures up and lands a flurry of shots that force the referee to stop in for the TKO stoppage.
Result: Ateba Gautier def. Yura Naito via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:00 Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 72: Best photos Records: Gautier (6-1), Naito (6-1) Division: Middleweight Broadcast: ESPN+ Referee: Gary Copeland
Benjamin Bennett vs. Joey Hart
Round 1 – Both men are methodical with their striking approaches to start the opening round. Hart is much taller and longer, but Bennett looks confident in his ability to jump in and out of the pocket to land. Bennett shoots for a takedown roughly 90 seconds in and manages to drag Hart to the ground near the fence. Bennett works to improve his position as Hart tries to stay calm and work his way back up. Hart finally uses the fence to get up more than a minute later but Bennett is still hanging onto him and drags Hart back to the canvas. Hart gives up his back then scrambles back to his feet. He lands a body kick and a jab, followed by another body kick. Hart’s confidence is growing with his hands. Bennett lands a late counter and the round closes.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Bennett, but his lack of damage on the ground makes it close.
Round 2 – They trade punches and low kicks early in the round. Hart is looking to catch Bennett coming in, but he can’t before Bennett gets to the legs and secures a takedown one minute into the round. Bennett tries to drag Hart away from the cage wall but he can’t do so before Hart gets back to a vertical position. Bennett has Hart clinched against the fence, but he spins free. Hart is back at range but looks concerned about the takedowns. He gives up another one moments later but still has his back to the fence. Bennett grinds more time off the clock but isn’t doing much damage before Hart pops back up. Hart comes forward and lands some solid punches. He’s pressuring Bennett with some strong activity and tags him with a knee up to the middle. Bennett shoots for a takedown that scores, but it’s too late to do anything with it.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Hart, who did more damage despite Bennett’s successful takedowns.
Round 3 – Hart lands a massive knee to the jaw up the middle in the opening seconds, but Bennett shakes it off. Hart looks like the fresher and more dangerous fighter with his strikes and lands a clean uppercut. Bennett answers with an overhand right and some jabs to follow as well as a left. The striking exchanges are more even as the round hits the midway point. Hart is bleeding from near his right eye. Bennett is finding success with the jab but Hart continues to move forward with his own combinations. Bennett scores with a stiff left hook as the razor-thin exchanges continue as the fight hits its final minute. Hart lands a left body kick. Bennett fakes a takedown and lands a pair of punches off the break. Hart lands volume shots late to close out a solid fight that was very close throughout.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Bennett, but it’s a toss-up and could go either way.
Result: Benjamin Bennett def. Joey Hart via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 72: Best photos Records: Bennett (7-1), Hart (6-2) Division: Welterweight Broadcast: ESPN+ Referee: Keith Peterson
Arthur Lopes vs. Tallison Teixeira
Round 1 – Big boys up next. It’s an absolute slugfest to start! Teixeira and Lopes throw complete caution to the wind, with Lopes doing his best to get inside the ridiculous range and height of Teixeira. This is a ridiculous brawl and Lopes is fearless with his entries into the striking exchanges. Teixeira catches him coming in with a devastating left hand punch to the chin and Lopes goes down hard and is badly hurt. Teixeira swarms and lands more punches, and that’s all!
Round 1 – Tau comes out with awkward moves as he presses forward and Smith looks composed as he throws leg kicks and punches down the middle. Tau fires back with some hands of his own but Smith lands the first big shot that gets a smile out of his opponent. Smith lands another crisp combination as Tau circles around the cage on the outside. Smith clinches and goes for a takedown but Tau slips free. Smith lands on the takedown not long after but can’t do much with it. They trade more shots on the feet before Smith gets a takedown in the final 30 seconds to close the round on top.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Smith.
Round 2 – Tau comes out swinging for the fences to start the second frame but he’s struggling to land clean on Smith, who is evading and countering when possible. Smith battles for a takedown 30 seconds in but Tau shucks him off and takes control in the clinch position against the fence. Smith breaks free and the pace of the fight has slowed as they trade in the center of the cage. Smith shoots for a takedown and gets it clean. H tires to make something happen on the mat but Tau gets him caught up in a scramble that leads them to nearly get to the feet. Smith grabs ahold of the neck with an anaconda choke and it’s in deep! Tau somehow spins free and finds himself in a guillotine, but also gets out of that and to his feet! Smith responds with an uppercut and a hard left hook moments later.Tau battles back and clips Smith with a punch of his own as the round winds under a minute remaining. Tau is pressuring forward while bleeding from the nose while Smith stays smart until the buzzer.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Smith.
Round 3 – Smith looks calm to start the round while Tau is more desperate as he lands a nice left hook. Smith’s output has came to a near-halt, and Tau senses something as he works his striking game and finds more success with the left hand, then a right moments later. Tau is taking over in the striking now as Smith’s corner pleads him for a takedown and to stop backing up. He finally lands a combination and starts to let go. He shoots a takedown but Tau overpowers him and is the one on top. He steps back and welcomes Smith to the feet. Smith lands an uppercut but seems to be the more fatigued fighter. Tau lands some hard hooks to the body and to the head that force Smith to reset. There’s 90 seconds left and it’s turning into a slugfest. Tau is determined to find a finish as he continues to throw everything he has. Smith finds some energy to throw again but Tau answers with some bombs. They trade to the final bell to send UFC CEO White to his feet in applause. Both men raise their hands up in victory as they walk around the octagon.
MMA Junkie scores the round 10-9 for Tau, but it’s 29-28 Smith on our scorecard.
Result: Elijah Smith def. Aaron Tau via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Photos: Dana White’s Contender Series 72: Best photos Records: Smith (7-1), Tua (8-1) Division: Bantamweight Broadcast: ESPN+ Referee: Keith Peterson
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 72.
