Devonte Smith (born July 30, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Devonte Smith
Devonte Smith post fight interview at UFC 234
Born (1993-07-30) July 30, 1993 (age 31)
Cleveland, Ohio, United States[1]
Other namesKing Kage
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofBedford, Ohio, United States
TeamFactory X (2018–present)[2]
RankPurple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[3]
Years active2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total15
Wins11
By knockout10
By submission1
Losses4
By knockout3
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

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Smith started training mixed martial arts around the age of 14 after seeing Quinton Jackson fight in PRIDE.[4] He attended Bedford High School where he wrestled every year.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

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Early career

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After compiling an amateur record of 7–2–1, Smith started his professional MMA career in 2015 and fought primarily in Ohio. He amassed a record of 7–1 before competing in Dana White's Contender Series web-series program.[5]

Dana White's Contender Series

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Smith appeared in Dana White's Contender Series 16 on August 7, 2018, facing Joseph Lowry.[6] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[7]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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Smith made his UFC debut on November 10, 2018, against Julian Erosa at UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez.[8] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[9]

His next fight came on February 9, 2019, at UFC 234 against Dong Hyun Ma.[10] He won the fight via technical knockout in round one.[11] The win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[12]

Smith was scheduled to face John Makdessi on August 17, 2019, at UFC 241.[13] However, it was reported on July 30 that Makdessi was forced to withdraw for undisclosed reasons.[14] Returning veteran Clay Collard was briefly linked as the replacement.[15] In turn, Collard was removed from the bout during the week leading up to the event due to an undisclosed medical issue and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Khama Worthy.[16] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round one.[17]

Smith was expected to face Alex da Silva Coelho on February 6, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 184.[18] However, Coelho pulled out due to undisclosed reasons,[19] and was replaced by Justin Jaynes.[20] Smith won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[21]

Smith faced Jamie Mullarkey on October 2, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 193.[22] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.[23]

Smith was scheduled to face Erick Gonzalez on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272.[24] However, Gonzalez was forced to withdraw from the event due to foot injuries[25] and was replaced by Ľudovít Klein.[26] Smith lost the fight via split decision.[27]

In May 2022, it was reported that Smith was released by the UFC.[28]

Personal life

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While preparing for his fight against Khama Worthy, Smith's sister Dariene was killed by a stray bullet in Columbus, Ohio, on July 11, 2020.[29]

Championships and accomplishments

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Mixed martial arts

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Mixed martial arts record

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Professional record breakdown
15 matches 11 wins 4 losses
By knockout 10 3
By submission 1 0
By decision 0 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 11–4 Ľudovít Klein Decision (split) UFC 272 March 5, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–3 Jamie Mullarkey TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker October 2, 2021 2 2:51 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–2 Justin Jaynes TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov February 6, 2021 2 3:38 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Loss 10–2 Khama Worthy TKO (punches) UFC 241 August 17, 2019 1 4:15 Anaheim, California, United States
Win 10–1 Dong Hyun Ma TKO (punches) UFC 234 February 9, 2019 1 3:53 Melbourne, Australia Performance of the Night.
Win 9–1 Julian Erosa KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez November 10, 2018 1 0:46 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win 8–1 Joseph Lowry KO (elbows) Dana White's Contender Series 16 August 7, 2018 1 2:52 Las Vegas, United States
Win 7–1 Justin Edwards KO (punches) Iron Tiger Fight Series / Alliance MMA March 3, 2018 1 1:30 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Win 6–1 Nick Gehrts TKO (punches) V3 Fights 65 November 18, 2017 4 1:03 Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Win 5–1 Damonte Robinson Submission (triangle choke) IT Fight Series 74 July 29, 2017 1 2:54 Akron, Ohio, United States
Loss 4–1 John Gunther TKO (punches) RFO: Big Guns 22 January 28, 2017 3 2:29 Mansfield, Ohio, United States
Win 4–0 Xavier Nash TKO (punches) Pinnacle FC 14 September 2, 2016 3 0:50 Cheswick, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 3–0 Fred Stonehouse KO (punches) GOTC MMA 21 June 4, 2016 1 3:01 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 2–0 Mike Wiseman TKO (punches) Caged Madness 40 January 16, 2016 2 2:42 Akron, Ohio, United States
Win 1–0 John Mosley TKO (punches) Caged Madness 38 September 26, 2015 1 4:29 Akron, Ohio, United States Lightweight debut.

[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Devonte Smith | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  2. ^ Tom Gerbasi (November 7, 2018). "2018 A Life-changing Year for Devonte Smith". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  3. ^ Devonte Smith [@koe_kingkageufc] (October 16, 2019). "Guess who just got promoted to purple belt" – via Instagram.
  4. ^ a b Daniel Vreeland (September 30, 2021). "UFC Vegas 38's Devonte Smith Came to MMA Thanks to Rampage". cagesidepress.com.
  5. ^ Sherdog.com. "Devonte". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  6. ^ Rodriguez, Victor (2018-08-07). "Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series 2018: Week 8 Preview". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  7. ^ "Dana White's Tuesday Night Contenders Series Episode 16 Results • Page 2 | Fightful MMA". www.fightful.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-18. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  8. ^ Lee, Alexander K. (2018-11-03). "Devonte Smith vs. Julian Erosa added to UFC Denver". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  9. ^ Anderson, Jay (2018-11-10). "UFC Denver Results: Devonte Smith Debuts in Style, Finishes Julian Erosa Early". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  10. ^ Staff (2019-01-14). "'Maestro' Dong Hyun Kim vs. Devonte Smith part of finalized UFC 234 lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  11. ^ "UFC 234: Devonte Smith stings Dong Hyun Ma early, finishes with flurry". MMAjunkie. 2019-02-10. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  12. ^ a b MMAjunkie.com. "UFC 234 bonuses: Israel Adesanya, Anderson Silva collect extra $50,000". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  13. ^ Shelton, Cole (2019-07-12). "John Makdessi vs. Devonte Smith Added To UFC 241". LowKickMMA.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  14. ^ John Morgan (2019-07-30). "John Makdessi out at UFC 241, promotion seeking replacement opponent for Devonte Smith". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  15. ^ Mike Bohn (2019-08-05). "Clay Collard replaces John Makdessi vs. Devonte Smith at UFC 241". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  16. ^ Nolan King (2019-08-13). "Devonte Smith gets third opponent, draws promotional newcomer Khama Worthy at UFC 241". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  17. ^ Doherty, Dan (2019-08-17). "UFC 241 Results: Khama Worthy Proves He is Worthy of Roster Spot with KO". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-08-18.
  18. ^ Staff (2020-12-22). "Devonte Smith vs. Alex da Silva added to UFC event on February 6" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
  19. ^ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (2021-01-30). "Alex da Silva out of UFC Fight Night 184; Devonte Smith in need of new opponent". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  20. ^ Nolan King (2021-02-01). "Justin Jaynes steps in to fight Devonte Smith at UFC Fight Night 184". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  21. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2021-02-06). "UFC Vegas 18 Results: Devonte Smith Earns Doctor's Stoppage Win Over Justin Jaynes". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  22. ^ "UFC adds Devonte Smith vs. Jamie Mullarkey to Oct. 2 event". MMA Junkie. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
  23. ^ Behunin, Alex (2021-10-02). "UFC Vegas 38 Results: Jamie Mullarkey Stops Devonte Smith In Round Two". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  24. ^ Dorff Marcel (2022-01-12). "Lightweight fighters Smith and Gonzales added to UFC 272". Eurosport (in Dutch). Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  25. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-02-24). "Erick Gonzalez Says He's Out of UFC 272 Fight Against Devonte Smith". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  26. ^ Marcel Dorff (2022-02-25). "Klein replaces Gonzalez for Smith in 8 days" (in Dutch). eurosport.nl. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  27. ^ Behunin, Alex (2022-03-05). "UFC 272: L'udovit Klein Earns Second UFC Win With Split Decision Over Devonte Smith". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  28. ^ "Report: Moutinho, Grundy, Hubbard Among Latest UFC Cuts". MMA News. 2022-05-05. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  29. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (July 20, 2020). "After Tragedy, Devonte Smith Fights On". Ultimate Fighting Championship.
  30. ^ Sherdog.com. "Devonte". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
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