UFC
Who’s the second father-son duo in the history of the UFC organization?
The American Elijah Smith has signed with the company in the DWCS and will follow in his father’s footsteps. His father, Gilbert Smith, made three appearances in the UFC.
Elijah Smith has earned a UFC contract after a decisive victory at the Dana White Contender Series (DWCS), an event where the largest MMA company in the world signs its future stars. The American bantamweight was one of four fighters to secure his spot, following in the footsteps of his father, Gilbert Smith, who also fought in the UFC. Together, they became the second father-son duo in history to achieve this feat.
Dana White gave Elijah a contract after a brilliant performance by winning unanimously (29-28, 29-28 and 29-28) against Aaron Tau in the bantamweight division. “Tonight was the night you had to take this on short notice. Tonight was the night you had to dig deep, and you showed the dog in you, kid. I loved it; I loved every minute of it. Get over here!” shouted the boss. The American, who accepted the fight two weeks in advance, had a tough first round but managed to recover and dominate Tau in the second and third rounds. The comeback was impressive, and the company’s CEO was impressed, describing the fight as an “absolute dogfight.”
“I’m very happy and very grateful because I know how hard he worked to make this vision come to fruition,” Elijah said at a press conference with American media prior to the DWCS. The American has fighting in his blood, and his father, Gilbert Smith, was also in the UFC. “My father opened his own gym in 2009, Victory MMA, and I know that tonight he was proud that I was his first fighter in the UFC. I know that,” said the young American.
Gilbert fought twice during season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter and once officially in the UFC in 2013. He lost the UFC fight. The Smiths are now the second father-son duo to have competed with the promotor.
Who was the first father-son duo in UFC history?
The first to achieve this were the legendary fighter Randy and his son Ryan Couture. Randy Couture (19-11-0) is the first of nine fighters to hold two UFC championship titles in two different divisions. He currently serves as a commentator and analyst for the Professional Fighters League.
Ryan Couture (11-5-0) is the son of a UFC Hall of Famer and a professional mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA.
A professional competitor since 2009, he has formerly competed for the UFC (until 2014) and Strikeforce.