Scott Smith (fighter)

Bryan Scott Smith (born May 21, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor since 2001, Smith was also a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback, and has competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC and PFC. He is also the former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Scott Smith
Born (1979-05-21) May 21, 1979
Reno, Nevada, United States
Other namesHands of Steel, The Comeback Kid
ResidenceElk Grove, California, United States
NationalityAmerican
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight186 lb (84.4 kg; 12.2 st)[1]
DivisionWelterweight
Middleweight
Light Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Fighting out ofElk Grove, California, United States
TeamCapital City Fighting Alliance
Mixed martial arts record
Total30
Wins18
By knockout15
By submission3
Losses11
By knockout5
By submission4
By decision2
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Smith was born in Reno, Nevada and raised in Elk Grove, California, attending Elk Grove High School where he competed in wrestling. Smith then continued his career in junior college where he placed in the California State Championship.[2]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In the early half of his career, Smith fought as a Heavyweight and compiled victories in the International Fighting Championships and Gladiator Challenge shows across the United States. While successful in the smaller promotions, Smith's first major appearance in the mixed martial arts world came in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization. Smith entered a WEC Light Heavyweight tournament with limited name recognition, but was branded by experts as the dark horse of the competition.[3] Smith defeated WEC veteran Tim McKenzie in the semi-finals. With that victory, Smith was slated to fight Justin Levens in the tournament finals; Levens, however, was halted on doctor's advice due to a shoulder injury he sustained in his semi-final bout. The tournament alternate, Tait Fletcher, was brought into the championship round instead. Smith made short work of Fletcher, scoring a first-round technical knockout to become the WEC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Smith would defend his championship from Justin Levens at WEC 18 before scheduling a fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship in April 2006, moving down a weight class to fight David Terrell at UFC 59. The fight – marked with questionable officiating – ended in controversial fashion, prompting Smith to file a complaint with the California State Athletic Commission.[4] The referee called for a break, which Smith adhered to but Terrell did not hear. When Smith stopped fighting, Terrell quickly locked in a rear naked choke, which the referee did not break. Smith was forced to tap out and protested immediately.

Smith was then seen as a middleweight contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback, where he quickly lost his quarterfinal matchup against Travis Lutter. Smith appeared on the season finale, knocking out Pete Sell in the second round of a very exciting fight in a sequence that saw Smith sustain a hard punch to the liver, and throw the bout-winning knockout punch before falling to the ground in pain.

Smith lost his next fight in the UFC by decision against Patrick Cote at UFC 67. More recently, Smith defeated Troy Miller by technical knockout at Palace Fighting Championship 2 in Lemoore, California. He lost against Ed Herman at UFC 72. Herman submitted Smith with a rear naked choke at 2:25 in the second round after Herman landed a nasty elbow on Smith in the first round covering his face in blood.

EliteXC

Smith made his EliteXC debut on February 16 knocking out Kyle Noke seven seconds into round two. The victory earned him a title shot against Robbie Lawler. The bout was declared a no contest after an accidental poke in the eye in the third round. The first two rounds were so exciting that Gary Shaw awarded both fighters their win bonuses and announced an immediate rematch. Smith lost the subsequent rematch to Lawler via TKO on July 26, 2008, at EliteXC: Unfinished Business.

Strikeforce

At Strikeforce: Destruction, Smith took a fight with Terry Martin on one week's notice and defeated Martin via KO (punch) in the 1st round.

Smith faced Benji Radach at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz on April 11, 2009. Smith defeated Radach by knocking him out in the third round.[5] Radach had, for the majority of the fight, showcased his ability as the more refined striker, and was arguably heading toward a unanimous decision victory until Smith caught him with a flush straight right late on in round three and followed up with strikes to seal a dramatic victory. On June 6, 2009, Smith was matched up with Nick Diaz at a catchweight of 180 lb. during Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields, losing via rear naked choke at 1:19 of the third round.

Smith fought Cung Le at Strikeforce: Evolution on December 19, 2009. Despite being dominated throughout most of the fight, Smith won via third round knock out and became the first man to ever defeat Cung Le. Smith fought Le again in a rematch with at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum on June 26, 2010. Smith lost by second round KO.[6]

Smith fought Paul Daley in a welterweight bout on December 4, 2010, at Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II.[7] Daley defeated Smith via one punch KO in the first round. As Smith was throwing a punch, Daley caught him with a hook.[8]

Smith took some time off after his loss to Daley, trying to heal up some injuries and rejuvenate his ground game. He faced Tarec Saffiedine at Welterweight at the Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson event.[9] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

After an 8-month layoff, Smith faced Lumumba Sayers at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey. He lost via submission (guillotine choke) in round one, suffering his fourth loss in a row.[10]

Post-Strikeforce career

Smith was expected to face Marcus Gaines at Gladiator Challenge on June 23, 2012, but an injury during training forced him to withdraw from the bout.

Smith faced Mark Matthews on August 3, 2013, at WCFC 6 for the WCFC Middleweight Championship. He won the fight via second round TKO.[11] He was then expected to face Max Griffin at WCFC 8 on February 15, 2014, however the bout was cancelled prior to the event.[12]

Personal life

Smith has two sons. Smith has a younger brother, Shawn, who is also a mixed martial artist. He also has three sisters and an older brother.[13]

Championships and accomplishments

  • West Coast Fighting Championship
    • WCFC Middleweight Championship (One time, current)
  • World Extreme Cagefighting
    • WEC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
30 matches 18 wins 11 losses
By knockout 15 5
By submission 3 4
By decision 0 2
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 18–11 (1) Justin Baesman TKO (punches) WCFC 16: King of Sacramento January 23, 2016 2 0:57 Sacramento, California, United States Return to Welterweight.
Win 18–10 (1) Mark Matthews TKO (punches) WCFC 6: Matthews vs. Smith August 3, 2013 2 0:41 Placerville, California, United States Won the vacant WCFC Middleweight Championship.
Loss 17–10 (1) Lumumba Sayers Submission (guillotine choke) Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey March 3, 2012 1 1:34 Columbus, Ohio, United States Return to Middleweight.
Loss 17–9 (1) Tarec Saffiedine Decision (unanimous) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson July 30, 2011 3 5:00 Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States
Loss 17–8 (1) Paul Daley KO (punch) Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II December 4, 2010 1 2:09 St. Louis, Missouri, United States Welterweight debut.
Loss 17–7 (1) Cung Le TKO (spinning back kick and punches) Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum June 26, 2010 2 1:46 San Jose, California, United States
Win 17–6 (1) Cung Le KO (punches) Strikeforce: Evolution December 19, 2009 3 3:25 San Jose, California, United States
Loss 16–6 (1) Nick Diaz Submission (rear-naked choke) Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields June 6, 2009 3 1:19 St. Louis, Missouri, United States Catchweight bout (180 lbs).
Win 16–5 (1) Benji Radach KO (punch) Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz April 11, 2009 3 3:24 San Jose, California, United States
Win 15–5 (1) Terry Martin KO (punch) Strikeforce: Destruction November 21, 2008 1 0:24 San Jose, California, United States
Loss 14–5 (1) Robbie Lawler TKO (soccer kicks and punches) EliteXC: Unfinished Business July 26, 2008 2 2:35 Stockton, California, United States For the Elite XC Middleweight Championship.
NC 14–4 (1) Robbie Lawler NC (accidental eye poke) EliteXC: Primetime May 31, 2008 3 3:26 Newark, New Jersey, United States For the Elite XC Middleweight Championship. Accidental eye poke rendered Smith unable to continue.
Win 14–4 Kyle Noke KO (punch) EliteXC: Street Certified February 16, 2008 2 0:07 Miami, Florida, United States
Win 13–4 Jeff Morris KO (punch) GC 73: High Noon December 22, 2007 1 0:22 Sacramento, California, United States
Loss 12–4 Ed Herman Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 72 June 16, 2007 2 2:25 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 12–3 Troy Miller KO (punch) PFC 2 March 22, 2007 1 1:06 Lemoore, California, United States
Loss 11–3 Patrick Côté Decision (unanimous) UFC 67 February 3, 2007 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–2 Pete Sell KO (punch) The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale November 11, 2006 2 3:25 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 10–2 David Terrell Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 59: Reality Check April 15, 2006 1 3:08 Anaheim, California, United States Middleweight debut.
Win 10–1 Justin Levens KO (punches) WEC 18: Unfinished Business January 13, 2006 1 1:58 Lemoore, California, United States Defended the WEC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Tait Fletcher TKO (punches) WEC 17 October 14, 2005 1 3:55 Lemoore, California, United States Won the vacant WEC Light Heavyweight Championship.
Win 8–1 Tim McKenzie TKO (punches) WEC 17 October 14, 2005 1 2:25 Lemoore, California, United States WEC Light Heavyweight Semifinals.
Win 7–1 John Seilhan KO (punch) Gladiator Challenge 30 August 19, 2004 1 1:29 Colusa, California, United States
Win 6–1 Isidro Gonzalez Submission (rear-naked choke) SF 3: Dome April 17, 2004 1 4:07 Gresham, Oregon, United States
Loss 5–1 James Irvin KO (punch) Gladiator Challenge 22 February 12, 2004 1 2:21 Colusa, California, United States
Win 5–0 Jaime Jara Submission (rear-naked choke) Gladiator Challenge 20 November 13, 2003 1 3:01 Colusa, California, United States
Win 4–0 Jaime Jara TKO (punches) Gladiator Challenge 16 June 1, 2003 1 4:13 Colusa, California, United States
Win 3–0 Levi Thornbrue TKO (punches) Gladiator Challenge 10 April 14, 2002 1 2:20 Colusa, California, United States
Win 2–0 Tim Kennedy TKO (doctor stoppage) IFC: Warriors Challenge 15 August 31, 2001 1 2:53 Oroville, California, United States
Win 1–0 Ted Stamatelos Submission (guillotine choke) IFC: Warriors Challenge 13 June 15, 2001 1 3:16 California, United States

References

  1. Maggie Hendricks. "Strikeforce weigh-ins: Babalu, Hendo ready to roll". Yahoo!.
  2. http://prommanow.com/2009/05/05/scott-smith-talks-about-upcoming-fight-with-nick-diaz-pro-mma-exclusive-interview/
  3. Josh Gross. "Smith Surprises in WEC 205-lb. Tourney; Rodriguez Rolls". Sherdog.
  4. Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2008-12-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "SCOTT SMITH-CUNG LE REMATCH JUNE 26 – LIVE ON SHOWTIME – FROM HP PAVILION IN SAN JOSE | Strikeforce". Strikeforce.com. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  7. "Paul Daley vs. Scott Smith Official for Dec. 4 Strikeforce Event". mmafighting.com. September 29, 2010.
  8. This is Nottingham (2010-12-06). "Daley scores devastating knock out". This is Nottingham. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  9. Nate Lawson (2011-06-28). "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson Main Card Complete". HEAVY. Retrieved 2011-07-18.
  10. "Strikeforce Results: Lumumba Sayers Submits Scott Smith". mmafighting.com. March 3, 2012.
  11. "Scott Smith vs. Mark Matthews, WCFC 6". tapology.com. 2013-08-03. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  12. "Scott Smith vs. Max Griffin". tapology.com. Retrieved 2014-06-23.
  13. "MMA Submission: 96 Hours for Scott Smith". Sports.ESPN.GO.com. 2009-04-16. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
Vacant
Title last held by
Jason Lambert
3rd WEC Light Heavyweight Champion
October 14, 2005 – May 2006
Vacant
Smith participated
at The Ultimate Fighter
Title next held by
Lodune Sincaid
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.