Athletes
Elijah Smith Aims To Continue His Momentum
Bantamweight Elijah Smith Is Looking To Stay Undefeated In The UFC When He Takes On Toshiomi Kazama At UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Hernandez On August 9, 2025
The first-time UFC jitters didn’t get to Elijah Smith.
Just 22 years old and fresh from a contract-winning performance against Aaron Tau on Dana White’s Contender Series last September, Smith got his first call to the big show and February and delivered a hard-fought unanimous decision win over veteran Vince Morales. And for the Colorado native, it was just another fight.
“I felt like the second time around was a little bit more relaxed and more natural than the Contender Series because the Contender Series was like, boom, I'm there,” said Smith.“Not only do I have to win, I’ve got to impress (UFC CEO) Dana White. There was a lot of weight on my shoulders, whereas this one I felt like I've been here before, it’s a familiar area, a familiar opponent, and it just felt like it felt a lot more natural this second time around. So I just went out there and just had fun and we had one hell of a fight.”
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The victory improved Smith’s record to 8-1 heading into his Saturday matchup with Toshiomi Kazama, and while flashy and fast knockouts and submissions garner most of the headlines these days, to get a solid three-round win over a legitimate foe does more for a young fighter’s continued growth, and he knows it.
“I definitely think it is a better development for me to go all three rounds, especially being in the UFC with another vet, somebody who I've watched before I even turned pro,” said Smith. “So I thought it was good to get these last two fights and get to go all three rounds to show the diversity in my fight style.”
Dad, UFC and The Ultimate Fighter vet Gilbert Smith, approved, as well.
“He thought it was a great fight,” said Elijah. “Obviously, there's always things that we can work on and get better at, which we did. We sat down and watched the fight and broke it down in ways that we can get better. But for a 22-year-old kid, he couldn't have been more proud.”
Smith’s father should be proud, because he didn’t just raise a fine fighter, but a fine young man. I tell the rising bantamweight star that it wouldn’t surprise me if there was a scandal one day where people find out that he’s 40 and not 22, and he laughs. But then again, I don’t know many 40-year-olds as mature as Smith is, either. He credits that to the job his parents did.
“I think it comes down to how I was raised, how my dad raised me, and how my mom raised me,” Smith said. “I think they really installed that mindset in me that there's people that are looking at you, and I always felt like they probably thought it, but they never gave me that notoriety of ‘Hey, Elijah, you're special.’ But I kind of always told myself that, and I just wanted to keep a good image for everybody. For example, my pops always told me back when I was in middle school to watch out what I post on Facebook because colleges see that stuff. So, at the point in time where I'm trying to go play college football, that was always in the back of my mind. Elijah, you can't be posting anything crazy on here because these scouts, they'll go, they'll check your Instagram, they'll check your Facebook. They'll see if this kid is reliable, if he's respectable, is he loyal, Is he somebody that we want on the team? So that's just how I grew up, just protecting my image and letting people know who Elijah really is and not just some dumb MMA fighter that doesn't know s**t from s**t, and all he knows is how to punch people.”
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That was the stereotype of all fighters back in the 90s. Luckily, that false image has been shattered and it’s fighters like Smith who are keeping it from becoming a thing again. And his positive image and attitude – along with his fighting – are starting to get him positive attention, something he’s embracing.
“I've been having a little buzz since the Contender Series, and every day I go out, people from my home city recognize me,” Smith said. “But I think the thing that really hits me the most is when I have younger kids in elementary school, like 10, 11, maybe 12 years old, know who I am. There was one point in time in my life where I didn't think I was fit for this; I didn't think I was the person that people wanted to look up to. But as I kept building on my image and kept building on my character and, of course, when I had my daughter, my mindset started to change from a child's mindset to a grown man’s. And I think that's probably the best feeling about the change of being in the UFC is the youth. Like I said, there was a point in time in my life where I felt like I wasn't the person that you wanted your kids to look up to. And now it's crazy. I made some mistakes, corrected them, got my mindset right, and I feel like I'm going to a good spot. And the UFC, they’ve been helping me elevate myself and get my face out there and let people know who Elijah Smith is.”
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs Hernandez took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 9, 2025. See the Final Results and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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