When IT Fight Series 30 goes down in Bellefontaine, Ohio on Saturday night, one fighter will step into the cage for the first time in nearly five years.
Brian “Bo” Smith (6-1) will do so in the amateur main event, as he’ll take on Treg Wells (5-3) for the organization’s lightweight title.
Smith has already won IT Fight Series gold before, winning the featherweight title during his first run as a fighter from 2007-2010.
Now 28 years old, Smith got his start in the sport after attending one of promoter Scott Sheeley’s events in Bellefontaine with some friends. Like many before him, Smith wasn’t impressed by the action he saw in the cage, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I remember telling Scott that I could beat everyone there, so he invited me to the gym,” Smith said.
Sheeley has likely done that a number of times before when a curious spectator gains confidence with his beer goggles, but the acceptance rate of those invitations is probably in the single digits.
“I spent an entire evening getting my butt handed to me by [pro fighter] Chris Overbey,” Smith said.
A wrestler throughout high school, Smith started kickboxing during his senior year and won the Arnold Sports Festival’s comeptitons in both boxing and kickboxing. Sheeley was impressed by the growth, so the transition to MMA was made, and Bo won his first four fights via stoppage. He then dropped his first bout against Andrew Huffman, but he eventually avenged that loss in what currently stands as his last foray into the cage.
That was almost five years ago.
“Fighting takes tons of commitment and time,” Smith said. “I have three small children and one more on the way. I needed to give my all to raising my kids and providing for my family. I am finally in the position financially and emotionally to be able to devote the majority of my free time to training.”
Smith is still part of Sheeley’s Iron Tiger Fight Team, which gives him the luxury of training with the likes of UFC lightweight Justin Edwards, fast-rising pro fighter Tim McCavit, and veteran amateur fighter Danny Moore.
Smith says he doesn’t know a lot about his opponent, but he is confident in his abilities and doesn’t feel any added pressure with the title on the line.
Be sure to check back to BluegrassMMA.com for more on IT Fight Series 30.