When asked about his upcoming induction into the Battlefield Fight League Hall of Fame, Squamish MMA fighter Cole Smith gives a rather nonchalant answer.
“Ah, whatever. It’s not a huge deal — I mean, it’s cool,” said Smith. “I’m stoked, but I heard about it once, and I didn’t think about it ever since.”
He explained later that he was told ahead of time, and he’d known about the announcement for a while now.
Nevertheless, it’s clear that Smith isn’t resting on his laurels.
Even as he took the call from The Chief, the martial artist was at the gym.
Smith will be inducted into the BFL’s Hall of Fame after having an undefeated record in the Canadian fighting league.
The Squamish fighter will be the fifth person to receive that honour.
He had a perfect professional record during his time fighting in that league.
In the BFL, he won four of the four matches in the professional division.
He also won two professional fights in Thailand in different leagues.
That winning streak earned him the notoriety that would lead to a signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
At the UFC, Smith made a splash at his debut, defeating fellow Canadian Mitch Gagnon.
However, the last two fights did not end in Smith’s favour. His contract was not renewed.
It’s been a storied career for the Squamish fighter.
“This sport has given me so many opportunities, from travelling around the world, meeting all these cool new people, to hanging out with super famous fighters and stuff,” said Smith.
For the fighter, it’s not just the glamour that he’s enjoyed, but the grind that leads up to it.
“I appreciate the hard work of it, not just the cool stuff that you see.”
And while his career has already been extensive, Smith doesn’t appear to be interested in stopping any time soon.
He’s been switching up his regimen, flying to Missouri to train with James Krause, a seasoned UFC fighter who is also coaching several martial artists as well.
Smith plans on returning periodically to the States to train with the MMA veteran.
Smith won’t just be going to practice — he intends on fighting in a league in Missouri.
But he won't be leaving Squamish permanently anytime soon — he just recently bought a place in town.
The Squamish fighter said that in the long term, he has an eye on returning to the UFC.
“Right now, I appreciate having to find myself again,” said Smith.
“It's obviously super difficult for me in Squamish and in the city. I have the support, but I don’t have the athletes who are looking to go to the same place as me. I got to where I was with what I had, but it just couldn't take me far enough. I'm excited to find a new coach, get a new team going and see how it develops. Just kind of restarting my career.”
At the moment, however, Smith said he’ll be taking it bit by bit.
"I just want to take it a fight at a time, and just kind of enjoy where I'm at and enjoy the process,” he said. “A lot of people just focus on the end result, and they don't enjoy the moment. A lot of the time, that's the best part.”
Smith will be inducted into the BFL Hall of Fame on Sept. 30.
