Elijah Smith

He admits he was on the verge of picking the opponent, settles on Smith because of his fallback options, and says he would not be surprised at all by the other result.

A fast-handed boxer whose confidence on the feet is underwritten by a powerful, high-level wrestling game he can fall back on at any point.

"this is far from" a lock, by his own rare admission

Good, clean-boxing striker with fast hands, a laser jab and good combinations; decent power without being a power puncher, generally setting things up off his wrestling though the analyst expects him to lead with boxing here instead. A solid grappler in his own right with super-fast, powerful double-leg entries, good top pressure and leg control, plus strong takedown-stopping ability.

Calls it 'very clearcut' and says Kazama's good skill set won't apply against Smith's 'massive striking advantage.'

A good striker whose hands are very quick, with decent power, good boxing combinations and a standout jab -- the clear edge in this matchup. He also carries a strong, if likely unneeded, grappling toolkit: fast takedown entries, a strong double leg, good top pressure and leg-wrap control. The analyst expects him to simply out-strike Kazama rather than need to grapple.

He leans toward the submission-upside underdog, saying he isn't quite ready to make that switch, before settling on Smith by decision and calling it a pick that could still flip before fight week.

A good, fast-handed striker who sets up his hands off his wrestling threat, with decent power and crisp boxing combinations. His wrestling is the real foundation - fast entries, a strong double leg, good top pressure and leg-wrap control; he did slow down in a tough Contender Series fight. As of 2025-02-11.

No clean pick stated; see review flag. The available transcript ends before any winner is named, mid-sentence into Smith's striking breakdown.

Elijah Smith is 6-1 (4-1 over his last five), with his lone loss to a real third party, Reyes Cortez, a fighter the analyst rates as very good -- which he uses to soften the loss rather than condemn Smith for it. In that fight Smith had real success for stretches before fading: he absorbed a heavy dose of leg kicks, grew visibly concerned as they kept landing, and was eventually dropped and finished by a straight right. The available transcript cuts off just as the analyst turns to a dedicated breakdown of Smith's own striking, confirming only the board's 'good Striker' headline before the file ends. Board credits him additionally with Solid Wrestling (takedown entries, double leg) and a non-core Adv Pos/grappling note (top control, leg wraps), neither addressed in the speech available here.