Photograph courtesy of Fury Combating Championship
Elijah Smith (6-1 MMA) took one other stride towards following his father’s footsteps when he knocked out Josh Walker at Fury FC 92 on Sunday. It was becoming when he used his mic time to shout out his father, UFC veteran, Gilbert Smith, after his victory on Father’s Day.
“It meant quite a bit, as a result of it’s a big day,” Elijah Smith instructed MMASucka. “What higher can I do than exit and placed on a phenomenal efficiency like I did and simply showcase the entire exhausting work that we put in collectively? It was a really particular second. Very particular.”
Smith completed Walker with a left hand adopted by elbows and hammer fists 1:44 into their bantamweight bout. Smith stated the sport plan was to make use of his dimension benefit, stress Walker and land calf kicks instantly. Smith stung Walker with a jab early within the battle and knew his energy would pose a difficulty for his opponent.
“The primary jab that I really – and I wasn’t capable of get full vary on it, and I’ve a contusion on my knuckle from that first jab that I dropped him with,” Smith stated. “As quickly as I landed it, it was so stiff, I used to be like, ‘Oh, that is gonna get unhealthy.’ There was one other fast jab that lots of people didn’t catch. He went jab to the pinnacle and jab to the physique. Proper when he was going to go for a jab to the physique, I countered it with one other jab, and I noticed it in his eyes that it didn’t daze him however I knew it surprised him. From there, I knew I used to be beginning to discover my vary and I used to be creeping up nearer and nearer and nearer. As quickly as I felt I used to be in vary, I used to be really shocked in regards to the punch that landed that dropped him. It seemed like I barely touched him. Typically it’s not about how exhausting you punch, it’s the spot you hit him at. And it was the best spot.”
Walker was 8-1 getting into the battle, with 85% of Tapology customers selecting him to defeat Smith.
The KO and the backflip. Elijah Smith has arrived. #HardWorkDedication #Fury92 pic.twitter.com/4BLqXoI3MA
— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) June 16, 2024
Whereas Smith entered the bout at 5-1, with three much less wins, he feels his energy of schedule was superior to Walker’s. Smith stated his first three skilled fights have been “robust as hell” on paper.
Roger Smith was 3-1 as an beginner when he and Smith made their skilled debuts. Elijah knocked out Roger 10 seconds into the third spherical.
“I fought one other man who fought on the identical card on Sunday,” Smith stated. “His title is Christian Sturdy. “He’s 7-1 [currently]. He really beat [Dana White Contender Series alumnus] Cameron Smotherman. I went on the market and I knocked Christian Sturdy out within the first spherical, as effectively, just like what had occurred this previous weekend. I additionally confronted one other robust man in Reyes Cortez.”
Cortez gained the battle by T/KO – Smith’s first and solely loss.
“Having these fights developing and getting these robust fights out of the way in which, I feel it made [the Walker] battle tremendous simple,” Smith stated. “I fought one other undefeated prospect, Robert Trujillo. He was on Dana White’s Slap Battle. I went on the market and took his ‘0’ away. Coming into this battle, I had quite a lot of confidence. I’ve been round expertise. Once I fought Cortez, he was coming off the Dana White Contender Collection. So I already acquired a style of the following stage.”
Smith stated with “all respect” to Walker, he doesn’t assume Walker was on his stage.
“It’s form of exhausting to essentially see it that manner, as a result of he had the larger document, however like I stated, if you examine the opponents that we’ve confronted, I’ve confronted more durable opponents than he has,” Smith stated. “He has but to really feel that subsequent stage. I’m the closest he’s felt to that subsequent stage. He’s going to develop and study from, this simply in addition to I did after I fought Cortez. You develop and study from it. There wasn’t something that I noticed in his earlier fights whereas we have been gearing up for this battle the place I used to be like, ‘Oh man, I ought to most likely be careful for that.’ We knew we have been going to return in, put the stress on him. I knew I used to be the larger man, as a result of he fought at 125 earlier than. So I knew we have been going to return in and simply be a bully, actually, and set up our dominance.”
Smith stated the sport plan is to make it to the UFC, like his father earlier than him. Gilbert Smith reached the UFC off of The Final Fighter, however Elijah is planning one other route.
“I do know they’ve been placing quite a lot of hype behind this Josh Walker child,” he stated. “He’s a really gifted child, and simply to see what I used to be capable of do and the way I used to be capable of dismantle him within the first minute and 40 seconds of the battle. I imply, sooner or later, they’ve acquired to start out both placing me in title competition or if I don’t get a name as much as the Contender Collection, one thing has to occur.”
The Contender Collection is Smith’s “quickest path” to the UFC, he stated. Whereas Smith is just 21 years outdated, he stated promotions are already having points discovering opponents for him.
“We’re at that time proper now. I really feel like I’m the place I should be. I’ve by no means been the one to hurry the method, however I really feel like bodily and mentally, I’m the place I should be to get to the following stage.”
Smith believes his win over Walker ought to be sufficient to get him a battle on the Contender Collection this yr. If not, then yet another win ought to do it, he feels.
“It’s all in God’s fingers. When the time comes, the time will come and I’ll be prepared for it,” he stated.
Smith stated he has no perception as as to if or not his subsequent battle will likely be for the Contender Collection after talking along with his supervisor, Jason Home, at Iridium Sports activities Company.
However Smith feels his efficiency towards Walker exhibits he’s prepared for a step up.
“I actually imagine this efficiency that I placed on, I went into this battle and got here out of it as if I didn’t even battle,” he stated. “In case you noticed me on the aspect of the street strolling to the nook doing one thing, you’ll have by no means recognized I had a battle. That’s how clear this battle was for me. That’s how on level I used to be. How calculated, how targeted, how sturdy. Weight minimize went nice. Rehydration went nice. Executing the sport plan. Coaching camp was nice. What extra can I say?”
