Athletes
ELIJAH SMITH | WISE BEYOND HIS YEARS
Young Bantamweight Prospect Shares Mature Approach Ahead Of Sophomore Debut
When Elijah Smith made his first trip into the Octagon last February against Vince Morales, it made him and his father, Gilbert Smith the second father-son combination to both compete in the UFC, following Randy and Ryan Couture, with Lance Gibson Sr. and Jr. subsequently joining the exclusive group back in December.
It’s a unique experience and one that the Dana White’s Contender Series grad relishes.
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“It’s big to have him in my corner and to have a father that has been there and done that definitely helps a lot,” said Smith, whose father is his head coach and chief corner, just a few days prior to heading to Las Vegas for his 2026 debut against South Korean sophomore SuYoung You. “Every day, every fight camp, we always come up with different things, different game plans; it’s never the same thing.
“We bump heads —that’s always gonna be a thing; that’s how our relationship is. It’s been a beautiful process because, as I’m learning, getting my feet wet in the UFC, so is he; we’re going into territory where we’ve never been before. To be 3-0 in the UFC and be the only fighter out of my gym currently in the UFC is — nobody has made it this far yet, so it’s great.”
When asked if there is ever any trash talk or teasing his father about being the only one in the family with UFC wins on their resume, Smith smiled and laughed before divulging the one thing he needles is father about most.
“I joke around with him a lot, but the No. 1 thing I always tell him is that I have more TKOs and knockouts because if you look at his record, he doesn’t have any,” he said. “He has a lot of submissions, and if he wanted to beat me on that, I’ll be like, ‘Cool, which one puts more butts in seats: a submission or a knockout?’”
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Smith laughed before adding, “He’s definitely proud of the fighter I’ve become and the man I am becoming.”
It’s with good reason, too.
Not only did Smith win both of his fights last year during his first year on the roster, but he showed the completeness of his game and the intangibles he possesses, while closing things out with a bang.
Paired off with Toshiomi Kazama in August, the now 23-year-old bantamweight hoisted his Japanese opponent skyward while he was trying to connect on a triangle choke, set his hands, and thrust Kazama into the canvas with devastating force, knocking him out on impact. The highlight went viral and landed Smith Knockout of the Year consideration throughout the MMA media.
“I would grade it a B+,” offered Smith when asked to grade his first year in the UFC. “I showed spurts of what type of fighter I am, and I also showed I can go out there and get a finish, which is obviously the biggest thing when you get into the UFC.
“My greatest takeaway was that even though I’m on the big stage, it’s just another fight; it really is,” he continued, showing his maturity and advanced mindset. “Of course, the money increases, there are more cameras, the fans, but at the end of the day, when you get into that cage and they shut the door, it’s just another fight.
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“I’ve been talking to my psychiatrist, Will Skeeters, who is helping me with the mental part of the game — going in there free-minded, comfortable, and remembering that it’s just another fight. Every fight is an important fight, so treat it as if it was my first amateur fight. Once you’re able to block that side of the fight game out, it becomes another fight, another Saturday night.”
This Saturday night, the highly regarded bantamweight prospect finally returns to action in a clash with fellow 2-0 sophomore You, who earned his place on the roster by winning the bantamweight tournament on Road to UFC Season 3 before collecting consecutive decision wins over AJ Cunningham and Xiao Long to open his time competing inside the Octagon.
When asked how much he knew of his opponent when he first got the name, Smith chuckled and admitted he was extremely aware of You before explaining why.
“I do a little side podcast with my guy Jordan Stanko called ‘The Rise SG Podcast’ and after (one of his fights) we had asked (You) to come on the podcast,” explained Smith. “He came on, we had an interpreter, and I was like ‘I like your game — you’re a grinder, real technical; I can’t wait to see your next fight.’ I didn’t know it was gonna be me, but that’s the fight business.
“He’s a good, strong, technical fighter; really good wrestling, grappling. Nothing that I haven’t seen before, but not saying that this is gonna be an easy fight because he’s 16-3. I’m excited for this fight. I don’t get taken down very often, nor do I find myself on my back very much, and he’s always been a top-dominant guy, taking guys down and grinding them out.”
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As he expertly broke down You’s game and highlighted where his strengths lie, Smith tried to tiptoe around the fact that his style, while effective, isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing or fan-friendly.
And that’s now the kind of fight Smith is hoping to have this weekend.
“I’m going out there trying to put on another show!” he said with a laugh. “Dana White said $25k for a finish, $100k for a Performance of the Night —we ain’t got time to be laying-and-praying on each other. I know he got kids, I got kids —let’s go out here and one of us has gotta make some money!”
But that doesn’t mean Smith is going to be chasing viral knockouts.
“I wanna make another name for myself,” he said. “I know the slam KO is always gonna follow me for the rest of my career, but I want to follow up with a beautiful performance. Even if I don’t go out there and get the knockout, (I want it to be), ‘Yo, Elijah looked great on the ground, he looked great on the feet, real technical; his conditioning looked strong, great footwork. He was on point!’
“I think that would be a great follow-up to the slam KO, maybe even better than getting another knockout.”
It’s a mature take from a mature young man, one who knows he has tons of time at this level ahead of him and isn’t trying to rush things.
“I’m still early in my career, still young in my career, and I just want to make sure that every time I go out into the Octagon, I’m the best fighter I can be that night, and that comes with time and patience.”
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