Bryan Scott Smith (born May 21, 1979), is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

. A professional competitor from 2001-2016, Smith was a contestant on The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback, and has competed for the UFC,

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States–based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decem ...

and PFC. He is the former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion.

Background

Smith was born in Reno, Nevada and raised in Elk Grove, California, attending Elk Grove High School where he competed in

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

. Smith then continued his career in junior college where he placed in the California State Championship.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In the early half of his career, Smith fought as a

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

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 World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was mad ...

organization. Smith entered a WEC

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight. The light heavyweight class has ...

tournament with limited name recognition, but was branded by experts as the

dark horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

of the competition. 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 ''The Ultimate Fighter 3'' was the third season of the mixed martial arts reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. It premiered on April 6, 2006, immediately after the conclusion of '' Ultimate Fight Night 4''. The season featured sixt ...

, was brought into the championship round instead. Smith made short work of Fletcher, scoring a first-round

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

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. 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. 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 Nicholas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and ...

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. Smith fought

Paul Daley Paul Anthony Daley (born 21 February 1983) is a British former mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional competitor from 2003 to 2022, Daley competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, Bellator MMA, Bella ...

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

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. He was then expected to face Max Griffin at WCFC 8 on February 15, 2014, however the bout was cancelled prior to the event.

Personal life

Smith has two sons. Smith has a younger brother, Shawn, who is also a

. He also has three sisters and an older brother.

Championships and accomplishments

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

**UFC.com Awards ***2006: Ranked #2 Knockout of the Year & Ranked #6 Fight of the Year *West Coast Fighting Championship **WCFC Middleweight Championship (One time, current) *

** WEC Light Heavyweight Championship (One time) ***One successful title defense

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, , Justin Baesman , TKO (punches) , WCFC 16: King of Sacramento , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:57 ,

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, KO (punch) , Strikeforce: Henderson vs. Babalu II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 (1) , Cung Le , TKO (spinning back kick and punches) , Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:46 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–6 (1) , Cung Le , KO/TKO (punches) , Strikeforce: Evolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–6 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:19 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 (1) , Benji Radach , KO (punch) , Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:24 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 (1) , Terry Martin , KO (punch) , Strikeforce: Destruction , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 (1) , Robbie Lawler , TKO (soccer kicks and punches) , EliteXC: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 14–4 (1) , Robbie Lawler , NC (accidental eye poke) , EliteXC: Primetime , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:26 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Kyle Noke , KO (punch) , EliteXC: Street Certified , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:07 ,

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Jeff Morris , KO (punch) , GC 73: High Noon , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:22 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 , Ed Herman , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 72 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:25 ,

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Troy Miller , KO (punch) , PFC 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:06 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Patrick Côté , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 67 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 , Pete Sell , KO (punch) , The Ultimate Fighter: The Comeback Finale , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:25 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 , David Terrell , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC 59: Reality Check , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:08 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 , Justin Levens , KO (punches) , WEC 18: Unfinished Business , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:58 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , WEC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:55 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Tim McKenzie , TKO (punches) , WEC 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:25 , Lemoore, California, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , John Seilhan , KO (punch) , Gladiator Challenge 30 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:29 ,

Colusa, California Colusa is a city in and the county seat of Colusa County, California, located in the Sacramento Valley region of the Central Valley. The population was 6,411 at the 2020 census, up from 5,971 at the 2010 census. Colusa originates from the l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Isidro Gonzalez , Submission (rear-naked choke) , SF 3: Dome , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 ,

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, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , James Irvin , KO (punch) , Gladiator Challenge 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jaime Jara , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Gladiator Challenge 20 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:01 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Jaime Jara , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge 16 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:13 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Levi Thornbrue , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, United States ,

debut. , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Tim Kennedy , TKO (doctor stoppage) , IFC: Warriors Challenge 15 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:53 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Ted Stamatelos , Submission (guillotine choke) , IFC: Warriors Challenge 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:16 ,

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References

External links

*
Archived UFC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Scott 1979 births Living people American male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists World Extreme Cagefighting champions Heavyweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Sportspeople from Reno, Nevada People from Elk Grove, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers