Leslie Smith (fighter)

Last updated
Leslie Smith
Born (1982-08-17) August 17, 1982 (age 41)
Santa Ana, California, United States of America [1]
Other namesThe Peacemaker
Residence Pleasant Hill, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st)
Division Flyweight (2013)
Bantamweight (2009–2013, 2014–2019)
Featherweight (2011, 2019–present)
Reach67 in (170 cm)
Fighting out of Pleasant Hill, California, U.S.
Team Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu
RankBrown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Cesar Gracie and Alessandro Ferreira [2]
Years active2008–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total22
Wins12
By knockout5
By decision7
Losses9
By knockout3
By decision6
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Leslie Smith (born August 17, 1982) is an American professional female mixed martial artist. She formerly competed in Invicta FC where she was a main card staple of the organization, having fought on the main card four times in the first five shows. [3] She also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Smith fights out of the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu team and is noted for a similar level of high volume striking and aggressiveness to other members of that camp. Smith most recently competed in the Bellator Fighting Championships at featherweight.

Contents

A documentary about Smith's early career, Fight For It, was released in 2012.

Martial arts career

Invicta FC

Smith entered Invicta Fighting Championships as a prospect with a 3–2 professional mixed martial arts record. She made her debut at Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen on April 28, 2012. In her first bout with the organization, she fought veteran Kaitlin Young to an exciting draw, earning the Fight of the Night bonus (US$1,500 bonus to each fighter). [4]

Amanda Nunes was scheduled to fight Milana Dudieva at Invicta FC 2: Baszler vs. McMann , but Dudieva withdrew from the fight on July 9 due to a medical illness and was replaced by Smith. However, on July 20, Smith suffered a hand injury that forced her to also withdraw from the fight. She was then replaced by Raquel Pa'aluhi in the fight with Nunes. [5]

Smith was then scheduled to fight Cat Zingano at Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama , but the promotion allowed Zingano to withdraw from the fight so that she could accept a fight for Strikeforce. Zingano was replaced by pro boxer and undefeated MMA fighter, Kim Connor-Hamby. Sarah Kaufman was set to fight Kaitlin Young, but an injury forced Kaufman to withdraw from the fight on September 17. As a result, Smith was moved from her fight with Connor-Hamby in order to face Young in a rematch from their Fight of the Night draw at Invicta FC 1 to determine a final winner. This time, Smith was able to get the better of Young and she defeated her by TKO in the second round. [6]

Smith competed once again for Invicta FC on January 5, 2013, this time on the main card of Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt against Raquel Pennington. Smith defeated Pennington by unanimous decision. [7]

Having gone unbeaten in three fights, Smith moved up in competition at Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson when she faced former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman on April 5, 2013. [8] [9] Smith lost a controversial split decision to Kaufman, which drew booing from the crowd. During the fight, Kaufman used footwork to stay on the outside whilst Smith played the aggressor and set a high work rate. Smith was able to drop Kaufman with a head kick in the second round but was unable to stop a late surge from Kaufman in the final round. [10] The fight was declared Fight of the Night (Smith's second) and both fighters were awarded bonuses. [11]

Smith returned to fight at Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg on July 13, 2013. [12] She made her flyweight debut against Jennifer Maia in a title eliminator bout. [13] Smith won the fight via unanimous decision. [14] [15] The bout was named Fight of the Night. [16]

Smith challenged Barb Honchak for the Invicta FC flyweight championship at Invicta FC 7 on December 7, 2013. She lost the fight via unanimous decision and earned yet another Fight of the Night bonus. [17] [18]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

On April 8, 2014, it was announced that Smith would step in to replace an injured Amanda Nunes against Sarah Kaufman at The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale on April 16, 2014. [19] She lost the rematch via unanimous decision. [20]

Smith faced Jessamyn Duke at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Miller on July 16, 2014. [21] Smith won the fight via TKO in the first round. [22]

Smith fought Jessica Eye at UFC 180. [23] The bout was stopped in the 2nd round due to a stoppage by the cage-side doctor, as Smith's cauliflower ear split open. [24]

Smith fought Rin Nakai at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir on March 20, 2016. [25] She won the fight by unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, and 29–28). [26]

Smith fought Cris Cyborg at UFC 198 on May 14, 2016. She lost the fight by TKO early in the first round. [27]

Smith next faced Irene Aldana on December 17, 2016, at UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson. She won the fight by unanimous decision. The bout also earned Smith her first Fight of the Night bonus award in the UFC. [28]

Smith faced Amanda Lemos on July 16, 2017, at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio. She won the fight via TKO due to a combination of punches and elbows in the second round. [29]

Smith was scheduled to face Aspen Ladd on April 21, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 128. [30] At the weigh-ins, Ladd weighed in at 137.8 pounds, 1.8 pounds over the bantamweight non-title fight upper limit of 136 pounds. Ladd offered Leslie an additional $5,000 on top of her 20% purse deduction. However, the fight was removed from the card after Smith refused to fight at catchweight. [31] Subsequently, the UFC paid Smith her show and win money but then released her from the promotion. [32]

Bellator MMA

An April 16, 2019, it was announced that Smith has signed with Bellator MMA. [33] She faced Sinead Kavanagh in her promotional debut at Bellator 224 on July 12, 2019. [34] She won the fight by majority decision. [35]

Smith faced Arlene Blencowe at Bellator 233 on November 8, 2019. [36] She lost the fight by unanimous decision. [37]

Smith was expected to face Jessy Miele at Bellator 241 on March 13, 2020. [38] However, the whole event was eventually cancelled due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. [39]

Smith fought for the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship against Cris Cyborg on May 21, 2021, in the main event at Bellator 259. They previously met at UFC 198, which was Cyborg's UFC debut, where she won by TKO in the first round. [40] She lost the bout via TKO after being knocked down and finished with punches late in the last round. [41]

Personal life

Smith has an Associate of Arts degree from Pikes Peak Community College. [42] She played water polo at South Pasadena High School, where she was named All-CIF and team MVP. She is currently studying bachelor's degree in labor and employer relations at Rutgers University. [43]

In August 2016, Smith revealed that she had a benign tumor on her stomach. [44]

In 2018, Smith started Project Spearhead, an organization that is attempting to unionize UFC and MMA fighters. [45] Smith also recently gave a speech during a conference for the Economic Policy Institute regarding Project Spearhead. [46]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
22 matches12 wins9 losses
By knockout53
By submission00
By decision76
Draws1
Res.RecordOpponentMethodEventDateRoundTimeLocationNotes
Loss12–9–1 Cris Cyborg TKO (punches) Bellator 259 May 21, 202154:51 Uncasville, Connecticut, United StatesFor the Bellator Women's Featherweight World Championship.
Win12–8–1 Amanda Bell Decision (unanimous) Bellator 245 September 11, 202035:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United StatesCatchweight (149 lb) bout; Bell missed weight.
Loss11–8–1 Arlene Blencowe Decision (unanimous) Bellator 233 November 8, 201935:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States
Win11–7–1 Sinead Kavanagh Decision (majority) Bellator 224 July 12, 201935:00 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United StatesReturn to Featherweight; Kavanagh missed weight (147.7 lb).
Win10–7–1 Amanda Lemos TKO (punches and elbows) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio July 16, 201722:53 Glasgow, Scotland
Win9–7–1 Irene Aldana Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: VanZant vs. Waterson December 17, 201635:00 Sacramento, California, United StatesFight of the Night.
Loss8–7–1 Cris Cyborg TKO (punches) UFC 198 May 14, 201611:21 Curitiba, BrasilCatchweight (140 lbs) bout.
Win8–6–1 Rin Nakai Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Mir March 20, 201635:00 Brisbane, Australia
Loss7–6–1 Jessica Eye TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 180 November 15, 201421:30 Mexico City, Mexico
Win7–5–1 Jessamyn Duke TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Miller July 16, 201412:24 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss6–5–1 Sarah Kaufman Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter Nations Finale: Bisping vs. Kennedy April 16, 201435:00 Quebec City, Quebec, CanadaReturn to Bantamweight.
Loss6–4–1 Barb Honchak Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 7: Honchak vs. Smith December 7, 201355:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesFor the Invicta FC Flyweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win6–3–1 Jennifer Maia Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 6: Coenen vs. Cyborg July 13, 201335:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesFlyweight debut. Fight of the Night.
Loss5–3–1 Sarah Kaufman Decision (split) Invicta FC 5: Penne vs. Waterson April 5, 201335:00 Kansas City, Missouri, United StatesFight of the Night.
Win5–2–1 Raquel Pennington Decision (unanimous) Invicta FC 4: Esparza vs. Hyatt January 5, 201335:00 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Win4–2–1 Kaitlin Young TKO (punches) Invicta FC 3: Penne vs. Sugiyama October 6, 201222:19 Kansas City, Kansas, United States
Draw3–2–1 Kaitlin Young Draw (split) Invicta FC 1: Coenen vs. Ruyssen April 28, 201235:00 Kansas City, Kansas, United StatesReturn to Bantamweight. Fight of the Night.
Loss3–2 Ediane Gomes Decision (unanimous)BEP 5: Breast Cancer BeatdownOctober 1, 201135:00 Fletcher, North Carolina, United StatesFeatherweight debut.
Win3–1Julia GriffinDecision (unanimous)FE: Arctic Combat 2March 19, 201033:00 Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Win2–1Louise JohnsonTKO (punches)Kickdown 74: GrudgeJanuary 23, 201021:35 Denver, Colorado, United StatesWon the Kickdown Women's Bantamweight Championship. [48]
Loss1–1Kerry VeraDecision (unanimous) Bellator 7 May 15, 200935:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win1–0Louise JohnsonTKO (punches)Kickdown 61: RetaliationMarch 6, 200934:16 Denver, Colorado, United StatesBantamweight debut.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara McMann</span> American mixed martial artist

Sara McMann is an American female mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. McMann is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and was a World Silver Medalist and 2-time Bronze Medalist. She would then transition to MMA, most notably competing in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Marloes Coenen is a retired Dutch mixed martial artist. She competed professionally from 2000 to 2017 and is a former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cris Cyborg</span> Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter

Cristiane Justino Venâncio, known professionally by her ring name Cris Cyborg, is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who as of January 2021 competes in Bellator MMA, where she is the current Bellator Women's Featherweight Champion, having held the title since January 2020. She is also a former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC World Featherweight Champion. She is the only MMA fighter in history to become a Grand Slam Champion, holding world championships across four major mixed martial arts promotions. Cyborg is widely regarded as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time.

Alexis Evelyn Chris Davis is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) where she is a former Title challenger. She is a Canadian Open grappling champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Kaufman</span> Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

Sarah Elizabeth Kaufman is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist (MMA). She competed in the women's bantamweight division where she is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Championship. Kaufman was the inaugural Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion and was also the first and only Hardcore Championship Fighting Women's Bantamweight Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Nunes</span> Brazilian mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Amanda Nunes is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. She competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. She was ranked #1 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings at the time of her retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Carmouche</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Liz Carmouche is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently signed to Bellator MMA, where she is the current Bellator Women's Flyweight World Champion. Carmouche competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in the Women's Flyweight and Women's Bantamweight divisions. At the time of her UFC departure, she was #4 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanne Wood</span> Scottish mixed martial artist

Joanne Wood is a Scottish professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai champion who competes in the Women's Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of 7 November, 2023, she is #15 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat Zingano</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Cat Zingano is an American mixed martial artist, currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. Zingano also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and on April 13, 2013, she became the first woman to win a UFC fight by technical knockout (TKO). At the time of her departure from the UFC, she was No. 7 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. As of October 10, 2023, she is #4 in the Bellator Women's pound-for-pound Rankings and #2 in the Bellator Women's Featherweight Rankings.

Jessica Marie Penne is an American professional mixed martial artist. Penne currently competes in the Women's Strawweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). She was the first Invicta FC Atomweight Champion. She also competed in the first women's bout in Bellator Fighting Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Esparza</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1987)

Carla Kristen Esparza is an American professional mixed martial artist and wrestler who competes in the Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a two-time former UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. Esparza was the first UFC Strawweight Champion, the first Invicta FC Strawweight Champion, and was generally considered the best Strawweight fighter in the world during both title reigns. She first earned the UFC championship by winning a 16-woman tournament that was televised on the reality series The Ultimate Fighter. She also competed in Bellator MMA's first women's tournament. As of November 15, 2022, she is #1 in the UFC women's strawweight rankings, and as of November 21, 2023, she is #8 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Julia Budd is a Canadian kickboxer and mixed martial artist competing in the Women's Featherweight division. She has fought in MMA promotions Strikeforce,Invicta Fighting Championships, and Professional Fighters League (PFL) and is the first and former Bellator Women's Featherweight world champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bec Rawlings</span> Australian mixed martial artist

Rebecca Anne Rawlings is an Australian mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer, who currently competes in the flyweight division.

Lauren Marie Murphy is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Women's Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Murphy formerly competed for Invicta FC where she is a former Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion. As of November 7, 2023, she is #6 in the UFC women's flyweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Maia</span> Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter

Jennifer Maia is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Women's Flyweight division. Maia trains at Chute Boxe Academy in Brazil.A professional since 2009, Maia is most notable for her 12 bout stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and for being the former Invicta FC Flyweight World Champion.

Vanessa Alessandra Teixeira Porto is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and amateur boxer who competes in the flyweight division.

Valérie Létourneau is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Flyweight and Strawweight divisions for Bellator MMA and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Jamie Aliss Moyle is an American mixed martial artist. She competes in the strawweight division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Anderson (fighter)</span> Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

Megan Anderson is an Australian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Anderson also competed for the all women's MMA league Invicta Fighting Championships, where she won the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship.

References

  1. Playerswiki.com: Leslie Smith - Biography
  2. "Leslie Smith - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  3. "Leslie Smith Invicta FC Fighter Page". InvictaFC.com. 2013-04-20.
  4. Sargent, Robert (2012-04-29). "Invicta FC 1 Bonuses: Young, Smith Win Fight Of The Night". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  5. "Dudieva Withdraws, Setting up Showdown between KO Artists Leslie Smith and Amanda Nunes". News. United States: InvictaFC.com. 2012-07-09. Archived from the original on 2012-09-23. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  6. Doyle, Dave (2012-07-09). "Invicta FC 3 Results: Penne vs. Sugiyama". Results. United States: MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  7. Sargent, Robert (2013-01-05). "Invicta FC 4 Results: Carla Esparza Wins Strawweight Title". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  8. Marrocco, Steven (2013-01-10). "Invicta FC 5 Targeted For April 13 In Cali, Champ Penne Meets Karate Hottie". News. United States: MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  9. Chiappetta, Mike (2013-02-08). "Sarah Kaufman vs. Leslie Smith, Kaitlin Young vs. Amanda Nunes added to Invicta FC 5". News. United States: MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  10. Doyle, Dave (2013-04-05). "Invicta FC 5 results: Sarah Kaufman wins thriller over Leslie Smith". Results. United States: MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  11. Sargent, Robert (2013-04-06). "Invicta FC 5 Bonuses: Kaufman vs Smith Wins Fight Of The Night". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  12. Bratcher, Jack (2013-04-19). "Invicta FC 6 full fight card announced for July 13 in Kansas City". News. United States: ProMMANow.com. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
  13. Thomas, Luke (2013-05-01). "Leslie Smith signs multi-fight agreement with Invicta, faces Jennifer Maia in July". News. United States: MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  14. Sargent, Robert (2013-07-13). "Invicta FC 6 Results: Cris Cyborg Wins Featherweight Title". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  15. MMAjunkie.com Staff (2013-07-13). "Invicta FC 6 results: Cris 'Cyborg' claims featherweight belt with TKO win". News. United States: MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  16. Sargent, Robert (2013-07-13). "Invicta FC 6 Bonuses: Smith vs Maia Named Fight Of The Night". Articles. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  17. "Invicta FC 7 Coming to Kansas City on December 7th". News. United States: InvictaFC.com. 2013-10-11. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  18. Sargent, Robert (2013-10-11). "Barb Honchak vs Leslie Smith Title Bout Set For Invicta FC 7". News. Canada: MMARising.com. Retrieved 2013-10-17.
  19. Karim Zidan (April 8, 2014). "Amanda Nunes out, Leslie Smith in TUF Nations Finale bout with Sarah Kaufman". bloodyelbow.com.
  20. Sargent, Robert (16 April 2014). "Sarah Kaufman Defeats Leslie Smith Again At TUF Nations Finale". mmarising.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  21. Dave Doyle (2014-06-10). "Jessamyn Duke, Leslie Smith will face off at Atlantic City UFC Fight Night card". MMAfighting.com. Retrieved 2014-06-10.
  22. Gordon, Grant (16 July 2014). "Jessamyn Duke stopped by Leslie Smith in first round". latimes.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  23. MMAjunkie Staff (2014-09-25). "Jessica Eye vs. Leslie Smith booked for UFC 180 in Mexico City". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-27.
  24. Marc Raimondi (2014-11-15). "Jessica Eye wins by TKO after Leslie Smith's ear gets split open". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
  25. Nocaute na Rede (11 February 2016). "Rin Nakai E Leslie Smith Se Enfrentam No UFC Fight Night: Hunt X Mir". nocautenarede.com.br. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  26. Brookhouse, Brent (19 March 2016). "UFC Fight Night 85 results: Leslie Smith outlasts tough Rin Nakai for decision win". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  27. Brent Brookhouse (2016-05-14). "UFC 198 results: Cristiane Justino makes quick work of Leslie Smith". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  28. Staff (2016-12-17). "UFC on Fox 22 bonuses: Leslie Smith vs. Irene Aldana nabs 'Fight of the Night' honors". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  29. "UFC Fight Night 113 results: Leslie Smith batters Amanda Lemos for TKO, calls out Bethe Correia". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-16. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  30. "Aspen Ladd vs. Leslie Smith slated for April". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
  31. "Aspen Ladd misses weight due to 'certain female circumstances,' Leslie Smith bout cancelled". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  32. "Leslie Smith says UFC has released her, criticizes Aspen Ladd for UFC Atlantic City weigh-in miss". MMAJunkies. Retrieved 2018-04-20.
  33. Cruz, Guilherme (2019-04-16). "Leslie Smith signs with Bellator, moves up to featherweight". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  34. Peter Carroll (June 4, 2019). "Leslie Smith to face Sinead Kavanagh in promotional return at Bellator 224". mmafighting.com.
  35. "Bellator 224 results: Leslie Smith returns with majority decision win over Sinead Kavanagh". MMA Junkie. 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2021-10-06.
  36. Alexander K. Lee (October 14, 2019). "Leslie Smith vs. Arlene Blencowe set for Bellator 233". mmafighting.com.
  37. Doyle, Dave (8 November 2019). "Bellator 233 results: Arlene Blencowe stymies Leslie Smith, earns decision". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  38. Nolan King (February 14, 2020). "Bellator 241 adds Leslie Smith vs. Jessy Miele, Robson Gracie return, more to prelims". mmajunkie.com.
  39. "Bellator makes last-minute decision to cancel Friday's Bellator 241 | MMAWeekly.com". 2020-03-13. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  40. Anderson, Jay (2 April 2021). "Cris Cyborg vs. Leslie Smith 2 Announced for Bellator 259". Cageside Press. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  41. Anderson, Jay (2021-05-22). "Bellator 259: Cris Cyborg Defends Title, Stops Leslie Smith In Fifth". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  42. "Leslie Smith UFC Bio" . Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  43. Alexander K. Lee (March 23, 2020). "Leslie Smith: Questionable title shots another way the UFC is 'screwing the fighters over'". mmafighting.com.
  44. "So about that tumor on Leslie Smith's stomach ..." 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  45. Raimondi, Marc. "Leslie Smith launches Project Spearhead, a fighter-driven effort to get UFC athletes unionized". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  46. "Leslie Smith • Project Spearhead". Youtube.com. Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  47. "UFC on FOX 22 bonuses: Leslie Smith vs. Irene Aldana nabs 'Fight of the Night' honors". MMAjunkie. 2016-12-18. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
  48. "Kickdown 74 Official Results". mixedmartialarts.com. Retrieved 2014-07-10.