OTTAWA – Cole Smith believes he took the intelligent road to the UFC and feels extremely prepared for his promotional debut on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 9.
Prior to making his professional debut in February 2016, Smith (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) fought on the amateur circuit seven times. He lost three of his final four, and although he somewhat protest the nature of those defeats, he said the experience was invaluable.
“I’m so happy that I lost as an amateur because now I know the taste of losing when it doesn’t really count,” Smith told MMA Junkie. “We have (amateur) fighters in the gym right now and they’re undefeated, they’re kicking ass.
“My coach, my brother kind of want them to lose. Not selfishly, but so they can get the taste of what they’re doing wrong so when they turn pro they never want to experience that again. So, having amateur fights, it’s going to be real tough to just jump into professional and expect to reach the top.”
UFC on ESPN+ 9 takes place at Canadian Tire Centre. The entire card streams on ESPN+, with Smith set to meet Mitch Gagnon (12-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) at bantamweight in the opening fight on the card.
Smith’s UFC opportunity came on short notice after Gagnon’s originally scheduled opponent fell off the card. He didn’t hesitate to accept, and although he felt capable of being on the big stage earlier, he said the timing couldn’t be more perfect now that he’s arrived.
“I feel like this is the exact perfect time,” Smith said. “Everything is coming together at the best time for me. I’m ready, I’m old enough to where I’m not going to screw around, I’m not too young, I’m not too old. I think this is the perfect time for me.”
Smith’s opponent draw for his debut was no slough, though. Gagnon has shared the octagon with many of the best, but he’s only managed to fight once in the past four years. Smith said he’s not worried about a potential evolution of his opponent’s skillset, because he knows his combination of talent and drive will make it a successful endeavor.
“I think he’s kind of at the end of his career at this point,” Smith said. “One foot out the door, one foot in. It’s a great debut fight, I know he’s tough. He’s had more fights in the UFC than I’ve had professional fights. No pressure on me. Pressure’s on him. He wants to beat the newcomer. It’s kind of embarrassing losing to a guy (when you’ve) had more fights in the UFC than he’s had fights.”
For more on UFC on ESPN+ 9, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
