Continuing the MMA family tradition
KOKOMO — Two brothers — sons of local MMA legend Travis Smith — made their mixed martial arts debuts last weekend at Colosseum Combat in Kokomo. The brothers, Dominic “Heavy D” Smith and Gavin Banks each ended their fights with dominant wins.
Dominic fought Keaton Spear in the 135 pound weight class. In the first round, Smith combatted several takedowns and heavy pressure by Spear but easily gained control in the second round. Smith quickly reversed a takedown attempt by Spear early in the second round and made several submission attempts while maintaining dominant position. In the third round, Smith displayed his superior striking game, landing several heavy handed punches and well-timed kicks. Spear attempted a take down about halfway through the final round. Smith shut down the attempt and was able to take Spear’s back and rain down punches until Spear turned over to face him. Smith continued to inflict damage and the referee ultimately stopped the fight with just over a minute left in the third round.
Gavin fought Rocky Esparza at a catch weight of 160 pounds. Gavin’s opponent attempted a teep kick immediately out of the gate but missed and fell to his back. Banks gained side control, took Esparza’s back, stood up, and sunk in an anaconda choke to finish the fight in 45 seconds. Esparza did not tap but was put to sleep by Banks.
Both fighters said that their preparation for their debuts was not much different from their normal training regiment. They trained five to six days each week as they have done since March of 2020. Both of their opponents were also making their debuts which meant that neither fighter had much information as to the fighting style of his opponent. Smith and Banks focused primarily on perfecting the strong points of their personal fighting styles.
Dominic stated that he sees having his older brother as his primary training partner as an advantage because Banks is larger and stronger than Smith. Banks and Smith agreed that having their father as their coach relieves a great bit of stress because they have complete faith in the advice he gives and know that he has their best interest in mind. Dominic does not believe that he is under any pressure to fill his father’s shoes but rather feels that he is creating his own path. He is eager to continue his mma journey with the ultimate goal of competing in a top promotion such as the UFC. Gavin also said he doesn’t feel pressured by his father’s legacy but rather feels supported and comforted by sharing his journey with his brother and father by his side. Gavin is happy to
be setting a positive example for his younger brothers and said that the feeling he got from his first fight caused an immediate addiction. Both brothers intend to fight again in the very near future.
Travis Smith said the time period leading up to the fights felt surreal. When the boys were young he never intended for them to grow up to be mixed martial artists after knowing just how rough the sport can be from his own experience. Travis has coached dozens of fighters throughout his coaching career but said, when it came to his sons, the only time it felt different than coaching other fighters was before and after the fight. Travis said he easily went into “coach mode” during the fights and didn’t change the way he coached at all. He said, “I didn’t feel like my judgment was altered. I felt like I always feel when I coach somebody. I’ve had a number of fighters throughout the years that I’ve had to coach that I cared about very, very much.”
Smith said he could not be more proud of his two oldests sons’ performances this weekend or of the dedication to training and the mindsets of all four of his sons and his daughter. Moving forward he intends to let all of his children decide for themselves what they want to do with their careers rather than having any expectations to follow in his footsteps. He believes they will easily surpass his achievements.