A torrid streak of finishes at UFC Vegas 109 included an absolutely vicious slam knockout from a fast-rising prospect. <\/p>\n
Competing in just his second UFC fight, Elijah Smith made good on his status as a massive pre-fight favorite when he finished Toshiomi Kazama late in the first round of their bantamweight matchup at UFC Vegas 109. <\/p>\n
The brutal slam was the third-straight finish on the UFC Vegas 109 prelims after the event opened with back-to-back finishes, and Smith\u2019s win immediately followed another first-round knockout from rising women\u2019s bantamweight contender Joselyne Edwards. <\/p>\n
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Elijah Smith after his win at UFC Vegas 109. \/ (Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n
Following a 6-1 start to his professional career, Smith took a unanimous decision over the formerly-undefeated Aaron Tau on Dana White\u2019s Contender Series to punch his ticket to the UFC. <\/p>\n
READ MORE: UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Hernandez free live stream results & highlights<\/a><\/p>\n The 22-year-old took another unanimous decision over experienced veteran Vince Morales in February to officially kick off his UFC career, and for his sophomore outing Smith was booked to meet Road to UFC standout Kazama on the prelims of UFC Vegas 109. <\/p>\n Kazama came into the night after scoring his first UFC win against Charalampos Grigoriou in August, but the Japanese bantamweight fell to 1-3 since joining the promotion off Road to UFC when he tried to lock up a triangle choke and Smith brutally slammed him to the mat. <\/p>\n PICKED HIM UP & PUT HIM OUT! \ud83e\udd2f\ud83e\udd2f\ud83e\udd2f<\/p>\n Elijah Smith with a potential KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR! <\/p>\n [ #UFCVegas109<\/a> | LIVE NOW on ESPN & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com\/jl1a9S9dGJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The finish was reminiscent of Quinton \u201cRampage\u201d Jackson\u2019s iconic PRIDE knockout against Ricardo Arona, and it marked Smith\u2019s first Octagon finish after he previously collected five stoppage-wins during his pre-UFC career. <\/p>\n RAMPAGE-STYLE PRIDE SLAM!! #UFCVegas109<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/V4ce9eF7K8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Zain Bando \u2122\ufe0f (@zainbando99) August 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n UFC Vegas 109 kicked off with a pair of decision-wins from Gabriella Fernandes and Eric McConico before things took a violent turn in the night\u2019s third bout, which saw Uros Medic flatten Gilbert Urbina with a perfectly-timed left hand <\/a>in just over a minute. <\/p>\n Uros Medic knocked out Gilbert Urbina on the UFC Vegas 109 prelims. \/ (Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n READ MORE: Conor Benn sends clear message to UFC fighters: boxing YES cage NO<\/a><\/p>\n Medic\u2019s victory was followed by another first-round knockout from Joselyne Edwards to bring the Panamanian\u2019s current streak of finishes to three fights, and those two finishes and Smith\u2019s seismic slam all helped to get fight fans primed for a main card headlined by top-ranked middleweights Roman Dolidze and Anthony Hernandez.<\/p>\n \u2022 Khamzat Chimaev crushed former UFC champ’s jaw to earn Dricus du Plessis title fight<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 UFC reportedly brings back fighter after nearly 3 years to save Shanghai matchup<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Ex-UFC title challenger officially set for bareknuckle boxing debut at BKFC 80<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Ex-UFC fighter drops wild claim about Dricus du Plessis’ future after Khamzat fight<\/a><\/p>\n Stick with MMAKnockout<\/a> for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n Follow MMAKnockout on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n