Elijah Smith Was Supposed to Play Football. Now He's Powerbombing People in the UFC

There's a version of Elijah Smith's life where he's on a football field in California right now. Maybe he made a roster somewhere, maybe he didn't, but that was the plan. JUCO ball, get some film, see what happens. Normal stuff for a kid out of Sierra High School in Colorado Springs.

That version of his life lasted until about March 2020 when the entire world shut down and Elijah walked into his dad's MMA gym because he literally had nothing else to do. His dad, a former UFC fighter, didn't even think he was serious.

Four years later, Elijah Smith is 2-0 in the UFC, he powerbombed a man unconscious on live television so hard that Rampage Jackson publicly called him a wolf, he makes music under the name Shakur da Bag, and he fights again this Saturday. Football's loss. The bantamweight division's problem.

The Football Plan That Died in March 2020

Elijah Smith was born on September 5, 2002 in Colorado Springs. His dad, Gilbert Smith Jr., fought in the UFC and on The Ultimate Fighter before founding Victory MMA in 2009. So combat sports was always around. But Elijah wasn't interested, not at first. He was a football kid.

He wrestled at Sierra High School for two years, qualifying for the state tournament both times. Not a standout, not a state champion. His dad put it pretty bluntly: "He kind of came off the couch and wrestled because the coaches asked him to do a favor for them. But you can't stop wrestling after a few years, pick it back up and expect to beat these studs."

The plan after high school was football. Smith was going to head to a JUCO in California to try to get more looks from programs. Standard small town athlete trajectory. Go play ball, see what happens.

Then March 2020 happened. COVID shut everything down. The California move fell apart. Smith was stuck in Colorado Springs with no school, no football, and nothing to do. His dad's gym was sitting right there.

"I started training and fighting back in 2020 during Covid," Smith has said on his UFC profile. "My initial plan was to go play football at a JUCO in California to get more looks, but once Covid hit my pops, I started training. I took two amateur fights that lasted a combined 22 seconds and the rest is history."

Two amateur fights with a combined total of 22 seconds. That's absolutely crazy.

But the way Gilbert tells the story is even better. He said Elijah would come to the MMA gym sporadically and was never that serious about it. Then one day Elijah told him he wanted to fight. Gilbert didn't believe him. He told Elijah to show up to sparring that Friday. "I didn't think he was going to show up," Gilbert said. "That Friday, I'd forgotten about it, he walked through the door and I was like, 'Holy crap, he actually showed up.' He showed up and it's been nonstop since then."

That's how fast this whole thing started. A kid who wasn't even training seriously walked into his dad's gym during a pandemic and hasn't stopped fighting since.

The Amateur Run and Going Pro at 19

Smith tore through the amateur ranks. Went 5-0 with two belts and a 100% finish rate. None of those fights lasted long. By August 2022, at 19 years old, he turned pro.

His first professional fight? A 10-second TKO. His second? Another first-round TKO to close out 2022. Two fights, two finishes, the kid looked like a monster.

Then reality showed up. In March 2023, Smith fought Reyes Cortez at Fury FC 76 and got stopped in the third round by TKO. First loss. He was 20 years old with only two pro fights under his belt and he'd just gotten humbled in front of everyone.

A lot of young fighters fall apart after their first loss. Smith didn't. He was honest about it too. "I went into that one too confident. I studied Reyes before the fight, but now when I study, it's on a different level. I watched the film from that fight 10 times and took away so much from it."

His dad had a similar perspective. Gilbert has always preached that fighters should be "semi-delusional" with their confidence, but that the delusion has to be backed by work ethic. "Hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard. And Elijah has put in the work."

After the loss, Smith won four straight fights, including submissions and TKOs, working through Fury FC and regional promotions. By September 2024, he was ready for the Contender Series.

The Contender Series and His Dad in the Corner

Smith faced Aaron Tau on Dana White's Contender Series Season 8 and won a unanimous decision to earn his UFC contract. It wasn't the flashiest performance, but it was clean and composed, which is exactly what the UFC looks for.

When Smith signed, it made him and Gilbert only the second father son combination to both compete in the UFC, after Randy and Ryan Couture. Think about that for a second. His dad fought in the octagon. His dad coaches him. His dad built the gym he trains in. And now they're both UFC fighters.

Smith loves joking with his dad about it too. "The number one thing I always tell him is that I have more TKOs and knockouts," Smith said, laughing. "If you look at his record, he doesn't have any. 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?'"

Gilbert's response to all of this is pure dad energy: "He's definitely proud of the fighter I've become and the man I am becoming."

The dynamic is rare in MMA. Most fighters train at mega gyms across the country and see their coaches more than their families. Smith lives, trains, and fights out of the same gym his dad built in Colorado Springs. His head coach is the same guy who raised him. Victory MMA isn't some factory producing a dozen UFC fighters a year. It's a family operation, and Smith is its crown jewel.

The Powerbomb Heard Around the World

UFC Vegas 109. August 2025. Elijah Smith vs. Toshiomi Kazama.

Kazama, nicknamed the "Silent Finisher," had an 11-4 record and was known for his submission game. The fight was on the prelims. Nobody outside of hardcore fans was expecting anything special.

Kazama went for a triangle choke. Smith was caught in it. And instead of panicking, instead of trying to posture up and escape like most fighters would, Smith grabbed Kazama, hoisted him into the air, and powerbombed him into the canvas with so much force that Kazama was knocked unconscious on impact.

The octagon went silent for a second. Then it went crazy.

The clip went everywhere. Every MMA account reposted it. The UFC's official Twitter called it "as clean of a head kick you'll see" before correcting themselves because it wasn't a head kick at all. It was a slam so violent that people compared it to Rampage Jackson's legendary powerbomb of Ricardo Arona in PRIDE FC, which is widely considered one of the greatest finishes in MMA history.

And Rampage himself responded. "Got that wolf in him too," Jackson said.

Smith's post-fight interview was perfect. He started by praying for Kazama's safety. Then he switched gears: "I'm still just as good as they come. I knew I had to slam him correctly. Unfortunately, I had to slam him on his dome piece."

That line is going to follow this kid for his entire career. And he delivered it at 22 years old with zero hesitation.

Shakur da Bag (Yes, Really)

Outside the octagon, Smith makes music under the name Shakur da Bag. He's credited as a performer and songwriter on Apple Music. He runs a podcast called "The Rise SG Podcast" with his friend Jordan Stanko. He's also an assistant coach at Victory MMA, which means he's teaching other fighters while preparing for his own camps.

The guy is 23, coaches at his dad's gym, fights in the UFC, makes music, and hosts a podcast. The energy is honestly more like a content creator who happens to be an elite athlete than a traditional fighter, and that's exactly the kind of personality that builds a fanbase in 2026.

When asked what fighting in the UFC means to him, Smith kept it simple: "We always got into this game to be world champions and that's still the goal. And this is just step one to becoming a world champion."

Saturday's Fight and What Comes Next

Smith faces SuYoung You this Saturday at UFC Vegas 114 on the prelims. SuYoung is a Road to UFC graduate who's also 2-0 in the UFC with consecutive decision wins. It's a solid test for both guys.

Smith actually knows his opponent personally. He invited SuYoung onto his podcast after watching one of his fights. "I was like, 'I like your game, you're a grinder, real technical. I can't wait to see your next fight,'" Smith said. "I didn't know he was going to be my opponent."

Bantamweight is a nightmare to climb. Everybody knows that. But Smith is 23 fighting out of a gym most fans couldn't find on a map, coached by his own father, and he's already got a highlight that Rampage Jackson co-signed. If he keeps finishing people like this, the rankings are going to have to make room whether the division likes it or not.

He started MMA during a pandemic because he had nothing else to do. Four years later he's powerbombing people in the UFC while his dad coaches him from the corner of a gym they built together in Colorado Springs.

If that doesn't make you want to tune in Saturday, I don't know what will.

Thanks for riding with CageLore. Stay locked in!

Frequently Asked Questions About Elijah Smith

Who is Elijah Smith in the UFC? Elijah "Swift" Smith is a 23 year old bantamweight fighter from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He's 9-1 overall with a 2-0 UFC record and trains at Victory MMA under his father Gilbert Smith, a former UFC fighter. He earned his UFC contract through Dana White's Contender Series in 2024.

How did Elijah Smith start fighting? Smith originally planned to play college football in California, but COVID-19 shut down that opportunity in 2020. With nothing else to do, he started training at his father's gym, Victory MMA, in Colorado Springs. He took two amateur fights that lasted a combined 22 seconds and never looked back.

What was Elijah Smith's powerbomb knockout? At UFC Vegas 109 in August 2025, Smith lifted Toshiomi Kazama off the ground while Kazama was attempting a triangle choke and slammed him headfirst into the canvas, knocking him unconscious. The finish was compared to Rampage Jackson's legendary PRIDE FC powerbomb and went viral across MMA media.

Is Elijah Smith's dad a UFC fighter? Yes. Gilbert Smith Jr. competed in the UFC and on The Ultimate Fighter before founding Victory MMA in Colorado Springs in 2009. He serves as Elijah's head coach and corner man. They are only the second father-son duo to both compete in the UFC, after Randy and Ryan Couture.

When does Elijah Smith fight next? Smith faces SuYoung You on Saturday, March 14, 2026 at UFC Vegas 114, streaming on Paramount+ from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.