Colton Thomas Smith (born August 14, 1987) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who formerly competed in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight b ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Smith is best known for competing on, and winning The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson. His dominant wrestling style allowed him to defeat all five fighters he faced in the tournament by decision. He is currently an active member of the U.S. Army.

Early life

Smith started wrestling at an early age. During high school, Smith wrestled for

Ankeny High School Ankeny High School is a public high school located in Ankeny, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Ankeny Community School District, and serves grades 10 through 12. History AHS opened in 1913 and graduated six seniors in the spring of 1914. ...

at 145 pounds. Smith graduated high school in 2005.

Army career

Smith, a Combat

infantryman Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

,and sub-par lover, earned airborne, ranger, and

sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing fie ...

tabs and has served tours in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and Afghanistan. While assigned to Echo Company, 4th Battalion,

3rd Infantry Regiment The 3rd United States Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. It currently has three active battalions, and is readily identified by its nickname, The Old Guard, as well as Escort to the President. The regimental motto is ' ...

(Old Guard), Smith earned his

Expert Infantryman Badge The Expert Infantryman Badge, or EIB, is a special skills badge of the United States Army. The EIB was created with the CIB by executive order in November 1943 during World War II. Currently, it is awarded to U.S. Army personnel who hold infan ...

. Smith currently serves as the chief Combatives Instructor at III Corps and Fort Hood. Smith has since been selected for promotion to Sergeant First Class and expects to refocus on Army training. The

Army Times ''Army Times'' (ISSN 0004–2595) is a newspaper published 26 times a year serving active, reserve, national guard and retired United States Army personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and ...

admitted, after criticizing Smith's recent MMA performances, that they received backlash from their vocal readership indicating Smith's popularity among fellow sevicemembers.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Smith started his career with a 2–1 record, including a win in M-1 Challenge. Smith trained Brazilian Jiujitsu under Relson Gracie earning his purple belt and developed his MMA skill under Lloyd Irvin and Vanguard Gym in

Manassas, Virginia Manassas (), formerly Manassas Junction, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. The population was 42,772 at the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Prince William County, although the two are separate jurisd ...

''The Ultimate Fighter''

Smith was selected as a cast member for The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson. He had to receive special permission in order to participate in the reality series during active duty. In the elimination fight in order to get into the house, Smith defeated Jesse Barrett by unanimous decision. Smith was the subject of controversy for putting his hand out to touch gloves, but faking and immediately shooting for a take down. In his first fight inside the house, Smith won a majority decision over Eddie Ellis. In the quarterfinal round Smith won another decision over Igor Araujo to advance to the semifinal round. In the semifinals, Smith advanced to the finals with a unanimous decision win over Jon Manley.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Smith made his official UFC debut on December 15, 2012 at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale against Mike Ricci. Smith won the fight via unanimous decision to become the Ultimate Fighter 16 winner. Smith faced

Robert Whittaker Robert Whitaker or Whittaker may refer to: *Robert Whittaker (fighter) (born 1990), Australian mixed martial artist *Robert Whitaker (equestrian) (born 1983), British showjumper *Robert Whitaker (author) (active since 1989), American author *Robert ...

on May 25, 2013 at

UFC 160 ''UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held on May 25, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The main event was a rematch between former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez and An ...

. He lost the fight by TKO in the third round. Smith next faced

Michael Chiesa Michael Keith Chiesa (; born December 7, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist, and sports analyst who currently competes in the welterweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor sin ...

in a lightweight bout on November 6, 2013 at UFC Fight Night 31. He was defeated via rear naked choke in the second round. Smith faced promotional newcomer Carlos Diego Ferreira on June 28, 2014 at UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Stephens. He lost the fight via a modified rear-naked choke submission, and was released from the promotion shortly after.

Post-UFC

Eight months after his last UFC fight, Smith returned to compete on the local circuit where he picked up two victories in the Rocks Xtreme MMA promotion.

World Series of Fighting

On August 20, 2015 it was announced that Smith signed with the

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

. He made his eventual debut on October 17, 2015 at

WSOF 24 World Series of Fighting 24: Fitch vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. This event aired live on NBCSN in the U.S and on Fight Network in Canada. Background The main event was a welterweight ...

against Washington Da Silva. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Grappling

On July 22, 2013, Colton Smith competed in a no gi super fight against Carlos Diego Ferreira at th
American Grappling Federation
s Southern Regionals. Ferreira won the match by points.

Personal life

Smith has three children. He runs his own MMA gym, Enlisted Nine Fight Company, in

Stafford County, Virginia Stafford County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb outside of Washington D.C. It is approximately south of D.C. It is part of the Northern Virginia region, and the D.C area. It is one of the fastest growing, and highest ...

and fledging lifestyle brand Enlisted Nine Fight Company partnered with Veteran Clothing giant, NineLine Apparel.

Accomplishments

** Ultimate Fighter 16 Winner **

The Ultimate Fighter 16 ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson'' is the sixteenth main installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. This season reverted to the taped format, after Th ...

Fight of the Season

Mixed martial arts record

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Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is no ...

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Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Div ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Mike Ricci , Decision (unanimous) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson'' is the sixteenth main installment of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)-produced reality television series '' The Ultimate Fighter''. This season reverted to the taped format, after ...

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 2–1 , Steve Montgomery , KO (punch) , Championship Fighting Alliance 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:08 ,

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Walter Coles , TKO (submission to punches) , Demolition Combat , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:52 ,

Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the most north western independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Frederick County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Winchester wit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Brian Nielson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , M-1 Challenge 24: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:19 ,

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 cen ...

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Mixed martial arts exhibition record

, - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jon Manley , Decision (unanimous) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

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Igor Araujo Igor may refer to: People * Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name * Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler * Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestling ...

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Amateur mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, 5–1 , Gary Wilkins , TKO (punches) , Barbarian Fight Club - 2011 Matinee , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:57 ,

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Sterling, Virginia Sterling, Virginia, refers most specifically to a census-designated place (CDP) in Loudoun County, Virginia, United States. The population of the CDP as of the 2010 United States Census was 27,822. The CDP boundaries are confined to a relatively ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Colton 1987 births Living people United States Army Rangers Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Mixed martial artists from Iowa People from Fort Hood, Texas Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters