Bantamweights Elijah Smith and Su Young Yu faced off early on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 114 preliminary card at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.
With the frankly awesome nickname “Yoo-Jitsu,” Yu was 3-0 inside the octagon; Smith was 2-0 in the UFC himself and coming off a bonus-winning slam KO of Toshiomi Kazama.
Smith opened the fight with a beautiful one-two combination. You shot a takedown in response, but was quickly met with a well-timed knee to the head by Su Young You. Undeterred, You continued pushing forward, landing a series of chain takedowns, scoring a lengthy amount of control from top position. Smith, finally able to return to his feet, was continuously pulled in by Su Young You’s clinch, unable to find any comfortability at range. As the round came to an end, You brought Smith back to the floor, likely winning a decisive first round.
Su Young You rushed into the center of the octagon with the same message as before, quickly attempting a takedown. This time, Smith was ready, meeting You with an uppercut and a hook, stopping You in his tracks. Finally in the striking, Elijah Smith started flowing, landing another combination and dropping the opposition in Su Young You. Smith quickly exploded onto the grounded You, landing some ground strikes before eventually finding the opening for the rear-naked choke.
Smith’s connection with his father, Gilbert, a former UFC fighter himself, proved once again advantageous as the young star moves to 3-0 in the UFC.
Official Result: Elijah Smith def. Su Young Yu by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 1:04
