Rising lightweight prospect Devonte Smith made good on his Octagon debut earlier tonight (Sat., Nov. 10, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 139 live on FOX Sports 1 from inside Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, when he finished former Ultimate Fighter standout Julian Erosa via first-round knockout.
It didn’t take much time for Smith to size Erosa up and patiently pick his shot. Once Erosa lowered his hands on an entry “King Kage” was able to land a crisp jab followed by a straight right. Erosa dropped to the canvas and Smith piled on top for vicious ground-and-pound. A few more good shots and the referee stepped in for the quick 46-second stoppage.
Check out the impressive debut finish above courtesy of UFC.
With this performance, Smith enters the 155-pound division in a hurry. The talented 25-year-old striker has now won eight out of nine career victories by way of knockout or TKO. Smith’s debut wasn’t really long enough to gauge his lightweight ceiling, but if he gets his wish to challenge veteran Ross Pearson next time around we should get a better idea of his long-term potential.
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