Smith Wants Shot at Shamrock

Former EliteXC middleweight title challenger and UFC veteran Scott Smith plans to fight again soon, and he wants a crack at one of the Strikeforce promotion’s biggest names.

With the ink barely dry on his new six-fight contract, Smith has placed former Strikeforce middleweight champion Frank Shamrock in his crosshairs.

“We’re both coming off losses to [Nick] Diaz, so it makes sense,” Smith said. “Frank likes to go out there and put on a good show, and so do I.”

Smith expects to compete at an unannounced Strikeforce show in December, perhaps at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif. While promotion officials have not settled on a definite opponent for the knockout artist, “they’ve thrown out a bunch of names,” Smith said.

A proven finisher with lethal knockout power, Smith has delivered each of his 16 career victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Wins against International Fight League veteran Tim Kennedy, four-division Gladiator Challenge champion Jaime Jara and Australian standout Kyle Noke anchor his resume. Smith’s submission loss to Diaz in June came on the heels of two memorable victories over Terry Martin and the equally potent Benji Radach. Smith, 30, claims to have learned a valuable lesson from his setback against Diaz.

“I was coming off a bad concussion [after the Radach fight],” Smith said. “I got another concussion against Diaz, and it happened a little too easy, I think. I need to start taking more time in between fights like that.”

The chance to compete on platforms like CBS and Showtime was not lost on Smith when agreed to re-sign with Strikeforce.

“It’s huge,” Smith said. “I’ve made more money in sponsorships here than I did with the UFC.”