The 2023 Contender Series set the stage for Smotherman to make his much-deserved entrance into the UFC. Facing CFFC alumnus Charalampos Grigoriou, Smotherman was on the wrong end of a first-round TKO in “wink.”
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“Really what happened was in my head I thought the guy was super fast and would throw really hard,” Smotherman said. “When the fight started and he threw the first shots, it was a lot slower than I thought. Then I checked a kick and I was like, “Oh, I didn’t even feel that,” and I was like, “I got it.” » As soon as I let my guard down for a split second, that’s when he landed.
Obviously the results are final, but anyone familiar with Fury FC or Smotherman knows that the unfortunate outcome of his DWCS fight was not an accurate representation of what Fight Pass Fighter to Watch could bring to the UFC.
With six professional knockouts under his belt, it’s hard to imagine that even the who’s who of the UFC isn’t familiar with one of the most feared bantamweights outside of the UFC. He just didn’t manage to put it together in August 2023.
“It is what it is, but I feel like if I fought him again or if I fought him nine more times, I would win all nine,” Smotherman said. “That’s why we love sports, but you never know what can happen.”
After the loss, Smotherman was discouraged from competing in MMA for a short time.