Scott Smith knows all about being down in a fight, but the heavy handed, big-hearted middleweight can never be counted out.
Perhaps no more appropriate example exists than when Smith was matched up against Cung Le at “Strikeforce: Evolution” last December. Smith was brutalized for over two and one-half rounds by the stellar striking of Le. When victory seemed out of the question, Smith, who had survived more than his fair share of devastating flurries, landed the punch he had spent the entire fight trying to, forcing the stoppage at 3:25 of the third round, just 75 seconds before the end of the fight.
But that result should not come as a surprise to anyone. Just talk with Pete Sell and Benji Radach. Chances are they will be able to tell you a story about Smith’s come-from-behind history.
However, with three knockouts of the come-from-behind type, Smith’s late round salvations resulting from his heavy hands and strong chin still fail to avoid the title of fluke. Now, Smith has a chance to prove differently by defeating Le for a second time when they meet in a rematch at “Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum”.
Le, who had a dominant kickboxing career before trying his hand at mixed martial arts, will no doubt be looking to put Smith away in convincing fashion. After all, in their first meeting, he had plenty of opportunities to turn it up and look for the finish, but he always seemed content to simply display his crisp, dynamic kickboxing, the same kickboxing that earned him an undefeated record and the middleweight title.
Smith most dangerous when hurt
However, as he should have known from past history, if you do not put Smith away, he is going to stick around the entire fight looking for a comeback finish of his own. Le failed to secure a knockout, and Smith made him pay in the last round like he has made several other fighters pay before.
Yet, even though he has done this on several other occasions before, Smith’s victories are often tagged as flukes. Sure, it is uncommon to come from behind in a fight you are getting dominated in, but, to do it as consistently as Smith does, perhaps it is more than just a fluke or coincidence.
Not only is it not a fluke, it is actually one of Smith’s more notable abilities. The man can take punch after punch and kick after kick for nearly an entire fight, only to pull out a knockout in the waning moments. This ability is beyond fluke so much for Smith that it has become somewhat of a habit.
While it is not a habit or an ability of a champion (champions such as Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields are never in situations where they need a knockout to pull off a win), it is still a very exciting and dramatic ability to have, and for Smith to come from behind for victories so many times makes it hard to call these wins coincidental or lucky.
While Smith may never hold a championship in Strikeforce, his fun striking style and never-say-die attitude, perhaps one day people will see past the misplaced title of fluke and see Smith for the big-hearted mixed martial artist he is and that his come-from-behind style is not based off luck. An equation involving his heart, power, and simple refusal to quit is what yields Smith these late victories that no one ever sees coming.
And as long as Smith keeps all those factors with him in the cage, he will remain a dangerous opponent to anyone and one of the few fighters who truly can never be counted out of any contest.