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