UFC bantamweight Elijah Smith says his bout against Davey Grant was the last fight on his existing deal and that the UFC had not offered contract renewals for fighters outside the Top 15.
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UFC bantamweight Elijah Smith has revealed that he was not offered a new UFC contract ahead of his fight against Davey Grant, saying the Grant matchup marked the final bout on his current agreement.
Smith, who is now 4-0 in the UFC after knockout win over Grant, said he had been told a renewal would likely come right before the last fight, but that it did not happen. He explained that his manager told him “It’s something that they haven’t done before, and they’re not doing anybody’s contracts that’s outside of the Top 15.”
Smith said he was surprised by the situation given his run of finishes and his position as a young, marketable fighter. He added that he felt he was an exciting option for fans to watch.
The comments came after Smith’s victory in UFC Vegas 124, a card that also saw last-minute changes to its main event and produced awards for two headliners and other fighters on the main card. In that event, the original main event between Gabriel Bonfim and Sean Brady fell through, and a new heavyweight main event featuring Johnny Walker and Waldo Cortes-Acosta was added on short notice.
According to Smith, he earned his UFC contract after going through the Dana White’s Contender Series, where he secured a UFC deal following a unanimous decision over Aaron Tau. He then went back and forth early in his UFC career—going the distance in his debut against Vince Morales before submitting back-to-back opponents—before his initial contract ended with the Davey Grant fight, which he described as the last bout of that agreement.
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