Shimon Smotritsky was already wearing the Israeli flag when the decision was read after three rounds at “Tuff-N-Uff 154” in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old MMA fighter out of Holon, Israel defeated American fighter Perry Stargel by unanimous decision.
Smotritsky expected to hear some jeers from the crowd during the fight, but it was during the post-fight decision that the volume grew.
“I started to hear a lot of boos getting louder and louder when I started to talk about Israel and about how I represent my people and the boos got extremely loud when I said that I want to dedicate this win to the IDF soldiers,” Smotritsky said.
“I want to dedicate this victory to the, to my heroes, the IDF soldiers,” Smotritsky told the crowd before taking a pause as the booing intensified. “They’re protecting my country. My people are tough. But thanks to the IDF soldiers, they’re protecting me, my family and the whole Israeli people. I can achieve my dream. I can go and train. Everybody lives their life because of those who sacrifice their own. So thank you.”
The booing continued. With his arms raised, he heard jeers and profanities about Israel and Palestine. So he adlibbed a final message:
“And to all the ‘Free Palis,’ f–k you!”
Clips of Smotritsky’s response quickly went viral, racking up millions of views across many pro-Israel social media accounts.
“And I’m happy that a lot of people saw it,” Smotritsky said. “A lot of people got mad about this, but they got mad about this because they hate us. So it makes me even happier.” For Smotritsky, the reaction that hit him hardest wasn’t so much the number of views as it was DMs from IDF soldiers.
“The amount of love I got from the Israeli fans and from the Jewish community is outstanding,” Smotritsky said. “It’s an insane amount of love and support and messages. I got so many messages from guys that are right now in Lebanon, in Gaza, in the West Bank and they say, ‘Yo, Shimon, we watched your fight live. We were cheering on you and your post-fight interview touched us so much.’ They’re my heroes because they’re protecting me. So if I can do something that will make these guys happier and give them moral support and lift their spirits, it means the world to me.”
The pro MMA catchweight bout was contested at 175 pounds at The Pearl Theater inside the Palms Casino Resort.
Following the unanimous decision, Smotritsky’s opponent Stargel walked away without offering a handshake, which often happens even after the most brutal of fights.
“I don’t care about this guy, we probably grew up with different values because the values that I grew up with in this sport is always respect your opponent, respect your opposition. You are both athletes, you are both fighters, you work hard for this fight. You fight each other. The fight is over. Come shake and show appreciation. And I was a bit disappointed that he didn’t want to show me the same appreciation, but that’s okay. I got the job done. I got the victory, represented myself, my people proudly.”
Even as the online praise mounted, Smotritsky celebrated the victory modestly with a take-out order of a double-double and fries at In-N-Out. He live-streamed the first few bites. The day after the fight, Smotritsky had a small cut on his forehead and a nose gash that looked like it was healing.
“I feel good, it’s just a couple scratches, this is not bothering me,” Smotritsky said. “What bothers me, it’s my foot because I kicked [Stargel] a lot. Sometimes I hit his elbows or his knee — sharp bones — and now my foot is pretty swollen badly. So it hurts me to walk on it, but this is nothing. They put glue on my nose and a staple on my head here. And in two weeks they’re going to take it out. I’ll be fresh and new.”
It’s all too common that Israeli athletes such as Smotritsky compete in front of crowds that they expect will be disrespectful. Smotritsky talked about how important it is for fellow Jews to show up and keep the focus. The walkout song he has used for years, “Hine Ani Ba” (“Here I Come”) by Israeli hip-hop funk band Hadag Nahash, has become his anthem.
“It’s my favorite, it drives me in,” Smotritsky said. “Here I come — to Smash.”
Following the walkout, Smotritsky gave his Magen David necklace to fellow Israeli MMA fighter Natan Levy to wear during the bout. Smotritsky told The Journal in 2022 that he sees 34-year-old Levy as his big brother in the fight world. The two trained together in Las Vegas, and Smotritsky said Levy helped him when Smotritsky first came to train in the United States. A similar scene would unfold before Levy’s post-Oct. 7 UFC fights, where Levy would remove his “Bring Them Home” dog tags and place them on Smotritsky during the fight.
“I don’t have to be a fighter to be a proud Jew, proud of whoever you are. Doesn’t matter. Even if people don’t like it, be a proud Israeli, proud Jew and don’t be scared. Keep going and try to achieve your dreams because the best answer to the people who hate us is to be proud and strong.
Smotritsky ended the interview saying that he wanted to make sure that The Jewish Journal would publish a quick message to Jews in the Diaspora.
“A bit of encouragement to our people — especially in the Diaspora — that sometimes they’re afraid or shy, but f— it,” Smotritsky said. “Those people, they’re going to hate us anyway. So at least let’s do something meaningful. Let’s succeed in life and let’s be proud of who we are.”
