Israeli fighter Shimon Smotritsky missed out on a lucrative contract with International mixed martial arts promotion company UFC after losing a decisive match overnight Wednesday.
The 21-year-old fought against Canadian Mike Malott in a welterweight matchup as part of Dana White's Contender Series which sees prospects fighting for the opportunity to sign a UFC deal, with UFC president Dana White on hand to make the decisions.
In the featured bout, Malott (7-1-1) caught Smotritsky (7-0) in a guillotine choke and scored a quick win via submission just 39 seconds into the first round.
The swift victory earned Malott praise from White and the coveted UFC contract on top of ending Smotritsky's undefeated seven-match record.
The Holon-based fighter still managed to make history by becoming the first Israeli to fight on the main card of an official event of the world's top MMA organization.
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Smotritsky in action for mixed martial arts promotion company Bellator
(Photo: Bellator)
Smotritsky, who has previously fought several matches for Santa Monica-based promotion company Bellator MMA, is a former Israeli national champion in Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing, under 23 national champion in classic wrestling, and three times European and once world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for youth.
In recent years, he has been training at the prestigious Russian MMA gym Archangel Michael Fight Club and participated in a training camp at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas under the guidance of fellow Israeli MMA fighter and current member of the UFC roster Natan Levy.