Elijah Smith Out to Remind Himself Who He Is

After punctuating his rookie campaign with a viral slam knockout of Toshiomi Kazama last August, Elijah Smith’s goal heading into his 2026 debut in March was to stay active and continue moving forward in the crowded bantamweight division, but that’s not how things worked out.

While he earned a second-round submission win over SuYoung You to advance to 3-0 inside the Octagon and 10-1 overall, the second-generation UFC fighter suffered a hand injury that needed surgery and forced him to the sidelines. Unable to compete or even train in any real meaningful way, Smith used the time to shift his attention to his other passion: music.

“Earlier this year, I wanted to stay active, but we had some…