With the recent retirement of Louisiana’s own Dustin Poirier, after UFC 318, the state of Louisiana is looking to reload to display their next generation of talent and Hunter Smith might be the guy. A pillar state for the early days of not only the UFC, but MMA in general, the state is home to many UFC greats, past and present. It is time for the next generation of Louisiana fighters to assume the mantel for the state. One of those fighters to watch in the state over the next few years waiting for his call is Performance Evolution’s own Hunter Smith.
Hunter Smith: Creating the Path to MMA
As with many who find their way into the sports of mixed martial arts, it all started with a desire to compete. “I was heavily involved in sports growing up. It was baseball over everything until I made my middle school football team in seventh grade,” Smith told MMASucka. “My focus then shifted to football, where I excelled quickly as a running back and linebacker. I’ve always loved fighting growing up as early as I can remember. During my junior year of high school, one of my coaches invited me to his MMA gym and from that moment, I knew I wanted to be a fighter once i graduated.”
Smith calls Performance Evolution his fight home, which is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The team is led by a Bellator veteran and former Karate Combat Welterweight Champion, Josh Quayhagen. “My biggest influences in my career are of course my wife, Kirsten, my coaches Josh Quayhagen, Walter Monceaux, and my teammates,” stated Hunter Smith.
Hunter Smith’s Successful Amateur Career Bridge to Professional Path
The culmination of training and love of this new sport, led to his amateur debut in August 2021 where Hunter Smith would compete on the Empire FC 13 card against a five-fight veteran at the time in Shane Dixon. One round is all it would take for Smith to secure the knockout victory in his debut. After a 15-second knockout at B2 Fighting Series 136 in October 2021, Smith would run into his first roadblock, suffering a submission defeat at B2 Fighting Series 145 the following January.
Hunter Smith would close out his amateur career on a three-fight winning streak, culminating with the Gulf Coast MMA lightweight championship, earning the title in the fifth and final round by knockout at Gulf Coast MMA 17 in September 2022.
Bright Professional Start for Hunter Smith
When is the right time (if there is one) for a fighter to make the decision to turn pro? For Hunter Smith, it was the feeling of already training with professionals. “I felt I was hanging in there with professionals in multiple high-level gyms. I also wanted to finally get paid for getting hit on!”
That first paycheck would come in a battle with Smith taking on TyShawn McCaster at All In Combat 2 in May 2023. All In Combat is a Louisiana-based mixed martial arts organization created by current UFC standout Brendan Allen. With a series of left hands finding their mark near the end of the third round, McCaster was unable to stay on his feet and hit the mat. Hunter Smith continued to drop hammerfists until the referee had seen enough to call the contest.
Earning His Fight Name
Hunter Smith’s second bout would show us the flash in which a bout can end. At All In Combat 3 in August 2023, Smith would send Rae Thomas back to the locker room after only 26 seconds of action. After an exchange of leg kicks, Smith would find the home for the big “headshot” from the left high kick, flooring Thomas.
The hits would continue to come with Smith scoring a huge left-hook knockout at American Kombat Alliance 33 in December 2023, knocking out fellow striker Benton Mitchell in dramatic fashion. A return to Empire FC for a February 2024 would show similar results, knocking out Cornelius Williams with a 32-second knockout.
Hunter Smith: Rebounding From First Pro Loss
The rear naked choke would rear its ugly head again for Hunter Smith, suffering defeating at AKA 37 against a very dangerous fighter in Elliot Hebert. Smith’s only amateur loss was also by rear naked choke. “I lost the fight by really beating myself mentally. I became a different fighter the minute I walked out of the cage [after the fight] the night I lost. I now understood my path and what it was going to take for me, and I have not looked back since,” stated Smith.
Finding his path is indeed what Smith did after the loss. In November 2024, Smith would return to the American Kombat Alliance cage for AKA 42 where he would earn a close split decision over Juan Chavana, closing out 2024 in the win column. Smith’s most recent performance came in July 2025 at Fury FC 106 where he would earn a victory over former Fury FC lightweight champion, Nico Echeverry.
Showing he can delivery the highlight knockout as well as go into the deep waters of a contest and still come out on top has Smith watching the phone for a potential Contender Series call. “The call is very close because I plan to make myself undeniable in the very near future. I want to not only show I deserve to be called, but that I deserve to stay in the UFC,” said Smith. “These next couple of months will 100 percent prove that! I also want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for blessing me with the gifts to chase my dream, and to not only chase them, but do it for him.”
