Giant-slaying heroics from MMA fighter Gary Smit

GARY Smit recently produced a phenomenal win at EFC 45 in Cape Town, but there’s more to him than just his fighting.

He may have an engaging nickname – ‘I Love Your Face’ – but the sight of his face is one his opponents are coming to respect. And fear, perhaps.

With good reason, too.

The Margate fighter has made the step up to the pro stage without too much hassle, winning his first two Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) fights in pretty quick time.

In August he overcame Nigerian Steven Nwosu in Cape Town. That fight took two minutes and 35 seconds. “It was fairly quick,” said Gary.

This month, at the same venue, he stunned his giant opponent Ivan Strydom from Port Elizabeth in one minute and 32 seconds.

Ivan stood at 1m98cm and weighed 112kg. Gary is 1m84cm (about 6ft1) and weighed 106kg on fight night.

“I like to be somewhere between 105kg and 107kg. That’s the fight weight I enjoy,” he explained.

There are fights within fights. Like at weigh-in.

“He was in my face and tried to stare me down. I guess it’s part of the build-up, for the crowd. He eventually backed off, which was quite ‘lekker’,” said Gary.

It’s all part of the pyschological warfare. “Either you have it or you don’t. I just returned the stare. It was a good feeling when he moved away. It’s the best part of the fight,” he smiled quietly.

So what’s it like taking on such a big fighter?

“By rights a guy of his size should make you nervous, but I have learnt to trust my training. Plus I have been doing this for longer than most of the others, having started when I was much younger,” he said.

Gary is looking forward to his next fight, but not sure when it will be. There’s nothing coming up in January or February, so he’ll have to wait and see.

Perhaps surprisingly, he considers competitive fighting a hobby. “It’s something I do for myself, I fight for myself. Don’t care who I fight against, I do it to keep fit and focused,” he said.

His main focus is training others in the sport, and this is how or where he spends most of his time – at his Parabellum (which means prepare for war) dojo in Margate.

He thanked his sponsors and supporters, saying they had been fantastic.

Gary also encouraged those interested in taking up the sport to visit him at the dojo or phone him at 076 3370557.

“Anyone can train and there are various levels. Some do it just for fitness, while there’s more striking and physical stuff for those who want to fight,” he said.

“The key is to know your limits and work around them, working out what you can or can’t do,” he said.
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