Elijah Smith says UFC has stopped early renewals for fighters outside the top 15

UFC bantamweight Elijah Smith said on Tuesday, Nov. 10, that his manager was told the UFC won't renew contracts early for fighters outside the top 15. Smith made the claim on The Ariel Helwani Show, in a clip Helwani posted on X. The UFC hasn't commented, and nobody else has confirmed it.

Smith, 24, is now off contract. He knocked out Davey Grant in 60 seconds at UFC Vegas 124 in Las Vegas on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the last fight on his deal.

What Smith said

Smith told Helwani he had always been told his contract would probably be renewed before his last fight. "That didn't happen," he said in the clip. Then he passed on what his manager heard from the UFC:

"He said they're not doing anybody's contract that's outside of the top 15."

He doesn't know how far it reaches. "I don't know if that's for all the weight classes or just the bantamweight weight class, but that's what was told to me," he said. According to MMA Sucka, he also said the UFC called this a new approach. He guessed it could be about saving money or trimming the roster, but said he wasn't sure.

This is second-hand: Smith repeating his manager, who is repeating the UFC. The manager isn't named in any report. As of Wednesday, the UFC, Dana White and chief business officer Hunter Campbell haven't addressed it. No other fighter or manager has backed it up.

Where Smith stands

Smith is 11-1, and 4-0 in the UFC. He earned his contract on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2024, then beat Vince Morales, Toshiomi Kazama, SuYoung You and Grant. He isn't in the UFC's bantamweight rankings, which run from Merab Dvalishvili at No. 1 to Bryce Mitchell at No. 15 under champion Petr Yan. By his own account, that leaves him on the wrong side of the line.

The renewal question had been hanging over him for weeks. "There haven't been any talks of renewing yet," he told MMA Junkie on Oct. 29. He took the Grant fight on short notice after surgery on his right hand, per MMA Sucka. He became the first fighter to knock out the 40-year-old, according to Boxing News, and earned a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Smith closed at −110 against Morales, close to a coin flip, according to our fighter page. He was a clear favourite in the next three, between −273 and −833, and closed at −345 against Grant, about a 74% chance. One unit at the closing price on each of his UFC fights would have returned +1.69 units. That is a look back over four fights, not a forecast.

Why it matters

Smith isn't the only bantamweight to fight out his deal unbeaten in the UFC this year. Farid Basharat (16-0) beat John Garza at UFC 329 in July in the last fight on his contract. He got no offer and was off the roster in October, MiddleEasy reported. Basharat may have been ranked, so his case doesn't prove Smith's claim.

We think the fighters with the most at stake are the ones Smith describes: prospects unbeaten in the UFC but just outside the rankings. Without an early renewal, their next contract rides on one fight. Smith won his, but a loss to Grant would have sent him into free agency off a defeat.

What comes next

After the win, Smith had a message for Dana White's team: "I'm a free agent ... talk to me," according to Forbes. Per MMA Sucka, Smith said Campbell told him afterwards that this was the kind of performance the UFC wants to see if he wants a new deal.

He says he's confident he'll get a new contract but wants to test the market. "I'm 100% happy in the UFC, but I'd like to see what else is out there," he said. He hopes to sit down with the UFC after UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 14. No offer, signing or next fight has been reported.