Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991)Mixed martial arts show results Date: May 30, 2020
/ref> is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

who competes in the

bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, California Xtreme Fighting,

King of the Cage King of the Cage (KOTC) is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Southern California, United States. History KOTC was founded in 1998 by Terry Trebilcock. KOTC features mostly amateur as well as up and coming MMA stars and former mainstr ...

and Pacific Xtreme Combat. He is also former flyweight champion of both California Xtreme Fighting and Pacific Xtreme Combat.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Smolka began his amateur career in 2010 and was able to achieve a 2–1 record in his first year of competition, also winning the X-1 amateur 135 lb. title. He would take nearly a year off before turning professional in 2012. He would pick up wins under the Destiny MMA and

banners before moving on to the PXC promotion in late 2012. He would win all four fights he had with PXC and would leave the promotion as the flyweight champion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In late 2013, Louis was signed by the UFC and was slated to make his promotional debut against

Alp Ozkilic Alp Ozkilic, full name Alptekin Özkılıç (born March 27, 1986) is a Turkish-American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, who formerly competed as a Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Born and ra ...

UFC Fight Night 35 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 35'') was a mixed martial arts event held on January 15, 2014, at The Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Georgia. The event was broadcast live on Fox Sports 1, and was ...

on January 15, 2014. Smolka was able to come out with a unanimous decision victory. Smolka later faced

Chris Cariaso Chris Vincent Cariaso (born May 27, 1981) is a retired Filipino-American mixed martial artist who competed as a Flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal Cariaso is of Filipino descent. Mixed martial arts career Since turning pr ...

on May 10, 2014 at

UFC Fight Night 40 ''UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 40'') was a mixed martial arts event held on May 10, 2014, at the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. Background The event was the second time that the organization has held ...

. Smolka lost the fight via split decision. Smolka faced

Richie Vaculik Richie Vaculik ( ; born Richard Vaculik) is a mixed martial artist and big wave surfer from Maroubra, Australia. Richie competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight division. Early life Richie's sporting accomplishments sta ...

on November 8, 2014, at

UFC Fight Night 55 ''UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 55'') was a mixed martial arts event held at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on November 8, 2014. Background This event was the fourth event that ...

. He won the fight via knockout in the third round, finishing him with a side kick to the face and swarmed on Vaculik til the fight was stopped. The win also earned Smolka his first ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award. Smolka faced

Neil Seery Neil Seery (born 30 August 1979) is a retired Irish professional mixed martial artist, who most recently competed in the flyweight division of the UFC. Beginning his career in 2005, Seery also competed for BAMMA, Cage Warriors, and RINGS. He wa ...

on July 11, 2015 at

UFC 189 ''UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held on July 11, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background The event took place during the UFC's annual International Fight Week. The event was expected t ...

. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Smolka faced

Paddy Holohan Patrick Holohan (born 3 May 1988) is an Irish politician and retired mixed martial artist who notably competed in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional MMA competitor from 2007 until his retirement in 2016, ...

on October 24, 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 76 ''UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 76'') was a mixed martial arts event held on October 24, 2015, at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background The event was the third that the organization has hosted in Dublin, ...

in the main event. After a back and forth first round featuring creative maneuvers by both men, Smolka was able to establish top position on Holohan midway in round two and deliver a series of shots, prompting Holohan to give up his back. Smolka was then able to lock in the rear-naked choke and secure the victory. Smolka next faced

Ben Nguyen Ben Nguyen or Nguyễn Ben, (born August 3, 1988) is an American mixed martial artist who competed as a flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he compiled a record of 4–3 with the organization. He is also a former Nitro B ...

on July 13, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 91 ''UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 91'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 13, 2016, at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Ba ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round and was awarded a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Smolka was expected to face

Sergio Pettis Sergio Jerome Pettis (born August 18, 1993) is an American mixed martial artist who is currently signed with Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Pettis competed in the Ultimate Fig ...

on October 1, 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 96 ''UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 96'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on October 1, 2016, at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. Background The even ...

. However, Pettis pulled out of the fight citing a minor injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer

Brandon Moreno Brandon Carrillo Moreno (born December 7, 1993) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC Flyweight Champion, and the cu ...

. Smolka lost the fight via submission in the first round. Smolka faced Ray Borg on December 30, 2016 at

UFC 207 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. At the weigh-ins, Borg missed weight for the bout, coming in at 129.5 pounds. As a result, he was fined 30% of his fight purse, which went to Smolka, who agreed to take a catchweight bout. Smolka lost the fight by unanimous decision. Smolka faced

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Titan Fighting Champions ...

on April 15, 2017 at

UFC on Fox 24 ''UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis'' (also known as ''UFC on Fox 24'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on April 15, 2017, at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Background The event was the f ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded ''Fight of the Night'' for their performance. Smolka faced

Matheus Nicolau Matheus Nicolau Pereira (born January 6, 1993) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who is currently competing in the Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He has also competed in the Brave Combat Federation (Brave CF) ...

on December 30, 2017 at UFC 219. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Post UFC

After being released from UFC in the beginning of 2018, Smolka moved to Irvine, California to train at Team Oyama and try to turn his career around. After getting scolded by his manager, Smolka realized he had a drinking problem that had hindered his career for the last years. Smolka gave up drinking completely and claims to have been sober since January 2018. Smolka's release from the UFC also prompted him to reconsider his career as a mixed martial artist. Faced with lower salary and limited growth opportunities, Smolka admitted to nearly walking away from MMA. Smolka faced Tyrone Christian Gorgonia at Gladiator Challenge - MMA Fighting Championship on April 21, 2018. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Return to UFC

On November 13, 2018, news surfaced that Smolka has re-signed a four-fight contract with the UFC and faced promotional newcomer

Su Mudaerji Su Mudaerji ( ch: 苏木达尔基 tb: བསོད་ནམས་དར་རྒྱས།, born January 20, 1996), sometimes written as Sumudaerji is a Chinese mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight and Bantamweight divisions of the U ...

at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 on November 24, 2018. The bout marked Smolka's return to the bantamweight division. Smolka admitted to struggling to make it to the flyweight limit in the past, admitting "I would be depleting myself to pretty close to death." He won the fight via an armbar in round two. Smolka faced

Matt Schnell Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Allia ...

on March 9, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 146 ''UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 146'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 4'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 9, 2019 at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, ...

. He lost the fight via a triangle submission in the first round. Smolka faced Ryan McDonald on September 14, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 158 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 158'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 16'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 14, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouv ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Smolka was expected to face

Davey Grant David "Davey" Jeremy Grant (born 18 December 1985) is an English mixed martial artist. He was one of the cast members for TUF 18 The Ultimate Fighter: Team Rousey vs. Team Tate, UFC TV series program, and he competes in Bantamweight division o ...

at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik on March 28, 2020. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the event was eventually postponed, and ultimately the pairing was scrapped. Smolka faced

Casey Kenney Casey James Kenney (born March 20, 1991) is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently competing in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and he was the former Tachi Palace Fights Flyweight champion and Lega ...

on May 30, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns. He lost the fight via submission through a guillotine choke in round one. Smolka was scheduled to face

José Alberto Quiñónez José Alberto Quiñónez Navarro (born July 28, 1990) is a Mexican mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division. He was one of the cast members in The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 1, The Ultimate Fighter UFC TV reality show ...

on November 14, 2020 at

UFC Fight Night 182 ''UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 182'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 40'' and ''UFC Vegas 14'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 14, 2020 at the ...

. At the weigh-ins, Smolka weighed in at 139 pounds, three pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight limit. The bout was to proceed at catchweight with Smolka fined 20 percent of his purse, which would go to his opponent Quiñónez. Smolka pulled out of their fights the next day as consequence of the weigh-cut and those bouts were canceled. The bout was left intact and eventually took place at

UFC on ESPN 19 ''UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 19'' and ''UFC Vegas 16'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 5, 2020 at the UFC Apex facility in Enter ...

on December 5, 2020. Smolka won the fight via technical knockout in round two. Smolka was scheduled to face Sean O'Malley on July 10, 2021 at

UFC 264 ''UFC 264: Poirier vs. McGregor 3'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 10, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States. ...

. However, Smolka pulled out of the fight in late-June citing injury and was replaced by promotional newcomer Kris Moutinho. Smolka faced

Vince Morales Vince Morales (born November 12, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division most recently for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional mixed martial artist since 2015, Morales has also com ...

on December 4, 2021 at

UFC on ESPN 31 ''UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 31'' and ''UFC Vegas 44'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on December 4, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, Nevad ...

. He lost the fight via knockout out in round one. Smolka faced

on May 14, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 36 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the bout after getting knocked out in the third round after getting dropped with a leg kick. Smolka announced on June 7th 2022 that he was “excited to test free agency” via his Twitter, confirming that he had been cut from the UFC.

Personal life

Smolka and his wife Yumi have a daughter, Lucy.

Championships and accomplishments

*Pacific Xtreme Combat **Pacific Xtreme Combat Flyweight Championship (One time) *

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(Two times) vs.

** Fight of the Night (One time) vs.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 17–9 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:02 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–7 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Hermansson vs. Vettori , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:15 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–7 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:03 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–6 , Ryan McDonald , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Gaethje , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:43 ,

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–6 ,

, Submission (triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:18 ,

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:07 ,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5 , Kyle Estrada , TKO (doctor stoppage) , CXF 15 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5 , Tycen Lynn , Submission (guillotine choke) , Destiny MMA: Fight Night 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, N/A ,

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5 , Tyrone Christian Gorgonia , TKO (punches) , Gladiator Challenge: MMA Fighting Championship , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:15 ,

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and located ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–5 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 219 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–3 , Ray Borg , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) , UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:23 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–1 ,

, TKO (punches and elbows) , UFC Fight Night: McDonald vs. Lineker , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:41 ,

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls () is the most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the 130th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha County and also extends into Lincoln County to the south, which continues up ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:09 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 ,

, KO (side kick and punches) , UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Bisping , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:18 ,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Australia , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Duluth, Georgia Duluth is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Located north of Interstate 85, it is approximately northeast of Atlanta. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, Duluth had a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Ale Cali , TKO (punches) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 41 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:52 ,

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Jessie Rafols , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:59 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Alvin Cacdac , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 35 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:59 ,

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Bryan To Hang Lam , Submission (armbar) , Pacific Xtreme Combat 34 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:54 ,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Kawika Martin , Submission (D'Arce choke) , KOTC - Mana , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:53 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Shane Pacarro , TKO (doctor stoppage) , Destiny MMA - Unleashed , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Waipahu, Hawaii Waipahu () is a former sugarcane plantation town and now census-designated place (CDP) located in the Ewa District on the island of Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2020 census, the CDP population was 43,4 ...

, United States ,

External links

* *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smolka, Louis Living people American male mixed martial artists 1991 births Flyweight mixed martial artists American male karateka American male judoka Mixed martial artists utilizing American Kenpo Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists from Hawaii Bantamweight mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters