DWCS winner makes history as only the second ever father-son duo in the UFC… 'I know I made him proud tonight'
Yesterday at 04:46 AM
Another week, another fabulous night of fights at the Apex, with four of the five winners from the latest episode of Dana White's Contender Series earning a spot on the UFC roster.
One of those quartet of athletes joining the UFC is American bantamweight hopeful Elijah Smith, who made his own little piece of history last night as he out-pointed City Kickboxing's Aaron Tau in the main event.
Elijah Smith earns UFC contract with decision win on DWCS
After a frustrating opening round, Elijah Smith came into his own as he bit down on his mouthpiece and out-struck Tau in impressive fashion across the second and third rounds; leaving the Apex with the unanimous decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), and a UFC contract.
Dana White was particularly impressed by the manner in which Smith was able to rally in rounds two and three, labeling the Week 6 main event as an "absolute dogfight" between two hungry competitors.
"Aaron came out showboating in the beginning, sticking his tongue out and stuff but he found out that you were not playing tonight," White told Laura Sanko after the event concluded.
"Tonight was the night you had to take this thing on short notice, tonight was the night that you have to dig deep, and you showed the dog in you kid – I loved it, I loved every minute of it, get over here!"
Elijah Smith makes history as second father-son duo in the UFC
With his spot on the UFC roster now secured, Elijah Smith becomes only the second-ever father-son duo to have competed in the UFC.
His father, Gilbert Smith, fought on season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter all the way back in 2012 – however, after losing his only full bout in the promotion in 2013, Smith senior would return to the regional scene, ending his career with a 13-6 record.
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The first father-son duo in the UFC was the Couture family – son Ryan fought in Strikeforce before having two fights in the UFC in 2013, whilst elder statesman Randy Couture became one of the greatest light heavyweight and heavyweight champions in the history of the promotion.
"I'm super happy and super grateful because I know how hard he worked to get this vision started and going," the young Elijah Smith shared at the post-fight press 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 is now 7-1 as a professional, with four wins coming by way of KO/TKO, one submission, and two via the judge's scorecards – and he was quick to note that this is only the start of his journey to the pinnacle of MMA.
"It doesn't stop here; I understand that the road only gets tougher [from here] but we only get better from here so to be the second [father-son team], wow, that a journey it's been the last four and a half years.
"It's been such a crazy, wild ride like I couldn't even imagine something like this back in 2019. We're here, I'm 22 years old, only just turned 22, so this was a late birthday gift to myself."
Dana White's Contender Series returns next Tuesday with a new group of talented fighters looking to make a name for themselves as part of the UFC roster.
