Last week, Elijah Smith said he would improve to 7-1 after his MMA fight against Aaron Tau.

Smith’s words served as a spoiler rather than a prediction.

The bantamweight won via unanimous decision victory over Tau on Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday in Las Vegas and earned a UFC contract.

“Aaron came out showboating in the beginning, smiling, sticking his tongue out, and he found out that you were not playing,” UFC President Dana White said in a post-match interview. “… You had to dig deep and you showed the dog in you, kid.”

Smith dominated the first round and opened multiple cuts on Tau. But Tau battled back in the second, and both fighters landed numerous significant strikes in the third and final round.

The 22-year-old Smith battled through fatigue in the final round but managed to stave off Tau’s final rally to earn the decision win.

“I come from a small school, Victory MMA … I don’t come from one of these bigger schools like City Kickboxing, who have tremendous fighters over there,” Smith said in his post-fight interview. “I’m showing that it’s possible. You put the work in and grind day and night, you make your dreams come to reality. It was a magical night. … I’m blessed to say I got the contract. That’s what I came here for.”