Elijah Smith just put himself on the MMA map — and maybe in the UFC history books — with a jaw-dropping slam knockout that has fans and legends talking.
The 9-1 lightweight stunned the crowd at UFC on ESPN 72 prelims Saturday by lifting and spiking Toshiomi Kazama straight onto the canvas in the first round, knocking him out cold on impact. Kazama, 11-5, was down for several minutes before being taken to a trauma center. Thankfully, he was later cleared — but the clip will live forever in highlight reels, much to Smith’s benefit.
Including tonight, the UFC has held 743 events.
There have been over 7,500 fights in UFC history.
Only 15 fights in UFC history have ended via slam knockout…
and Elijah Smith’s might just be the nastiest one of them all 🤯 pic.twitter.com/0wELyuNv9V
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) August 9, 2025
Smith credited some unusual fight wisdom from his father, former UFC fighter Gilbert Smith, for the technique. “My dad always told me, ‘If this was a fight, you definitely could have slammed him and shook a honey iced tea out of him,’” Smith told reporters. “This time, I finally had the opportunity to do it… When it’s somebody random you don’t know and everything is on the line — oh yeah: you about to get slammed on your dome piece.”
PICKED HIM UP & PUT HIM OUT! 🤯🤯🤯
Elijah Smith with a potential KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR!
[ #UFCVegas109 | LIVE NOW on ESPN & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/jl1a9S9dGJ
— UFC (@ufc) August 9, 2025
The violent finish instantly drew comparisons to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson’s iconic 2004 slam in PRIDE — and Jackson himself took notice, sending Smith his respect. The UFC rewarded Smith with a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus, and with months still left in the year, he’s already a frontrunner for Knockout of the Year.
Toshiomi Kazama speaks out after his scary Powerbomb KO loss to Elijah Smith tonight
“Defeat at Five Guys 🍔. For now, I’m just really glad to be alive…”
📸 @Hirotaka_MMA pic.twitter.com/FdYiUrnejF
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) August 10, 2025
Smith, who entered as the card’s biggest betting favorite at more than 8-to-1, has now won both of his UFC fights — but all of them have been at the Apex in Las Vegas. With this kind of momentum, he’s pushing for bigger stages. “I’m trying to get on the T-Mobile, Madison Square Garden… If we were in front of 20,000 people, the whole arena would be going crazy,” he said. “Hopefully this will be the one that gets me out of the Apex. If not, I’m fine — just as long as my pay goes up.”
Did Elijah Smith just deliver the greatest slam knockout in UFC history? #UFCVegas109 pic.twitter.com/6gMOKsdVPr
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) August 9, 2025
One thing’s certain: after a slam like that, the UFC brass — and the fans — will be watching closely to see where Elijah Smith lands next.
