[tps_title]Devonte Smith wins, wins again, goes pro[/tps_title]
I try not to have favorite fighters, but it’s hard not to get excited when you know that certain guys are on a card. Evolve MMA’s Devonte Smith (7-2-1) is one of those guys. I’ve seen his maturation as a fighter over the last year, as he is now unbeaten in his last six fights and has really been domiant in just about every outing.
Smith was absolutely blasting Jeremiah Leviege (3-3) with big bombs in the first round, so much that Leveige’s mouthpiece went flying out and onto the canvas. The referee halted the bout a few seconds later as Smith was in the middle of a flurry, and while Smith and his corner thought he had won the fight, the bout was only stopped to get Leveige’s moutpiece back in.
I know that safety is always paramout (especially in amateur fights), but it was a questionable time to stop the action with Smith seemingly on the verge of winning. The only thing that appeared to be holding Leviege up was the fence, but he was given time to recover while there was a clear adrenaline dump from Smith who thought he had won.
The rest of the first round was a bit slow, but Smith came out strong again after the break, eventually landing another flurry that dropped Leviege before the referee halted the bout.
Smith was elated after the win, and said his plan is to go pro after winning the interim EFP lightweight title.