Leeds United season ticket holder opens up on heart issue, MMA career and Elland Road stress

The middleweight went under the knife last July to have surgery after a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, which causes an abnormal heart rhythm.

In April he will return to the cage for a tune-up fight and has already lined up follow-up bout for May and a potential title shot in July as he attempts to establish himself at the top European level.

The intervening months between surgery and his pending comeback have been filled with sparring, fundraising and stressing out over Leeds United's Premier League status.

But as he nears a date with his own competitive sporting fate, Smith is living without the stress of a condition that went unchecked even as he fought twice for major international MMA organisation Cage Warriors.

"I was five [wins] and one [loss] prior to fighting twice with the illness, unbeknownst to myself," he said.

"I gassed [tired] in both my last two fights, obviously before I knew I was ill. I probably had it for two and a half to three years, the heart condition. It was really random. My heart was always doing different things to what it should be doing. If I was about to train, sometimes it would drop in beat so my chest was compressed. If I was laying in bed sometimes it would go really high and beat out of my chest, doing its own thing no matter what I was doing."

Smith says now that had he continued to feel as 'horrendous' as did when he took part in those two bouts, he would not have competed again. His initial fear that it was something psychological holding him back proved unfounded and scans eventually led to a diagnosis and ablation surgery, carried out on July 20 2022, which has left Smith without atrial fibrillation. Whether or not he would be able to fight again was a serious pre-op consideration.

"That was the conversation," he told the YEP.

"I had a really good consultant I saw privately as well as through the NHS because I really wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing. He was in contact with Leeds United's cardiologist as well, a guy who works with Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester City, basically showing him images of my heart and making sure I was making the right decision.

"I got three opinions, one from a guy who does all the GB cycling stuff. It was about whether I could compete again, or it was retiring to walk the dogs and do normal stuff."

A month after surgery, Smith was back sparring, a decision he admits was a little 'nuts' but something he saw as vital to his MMA return.

"If you're a fighter you're a bit nuts, aren't you?" he said.

"I was sparring four weeks later because even though I wasn't physically right, I did four sparring sessions because if I gave myself an excuse not to spar I felt like I would never get back in there. I was a bit silly, sparring that level of professional fighters in the condition of a normal inactive man, then I don't ever need to give myself excuses.

"I was feeling horrendous and I was unfit, I had a belly which I'm not used to but I got back in there and I was okay. After four more weeks I got there and then I got back to full training in December."

Despite his rush to get back into full contact training, Smith has slowed down in other ways since his surgery. He still wants to fight but he wants the right fights and he wants to fight the right way.

"I was always in a massive rush, always wanting the next fight and I would never sit back and think what's the best move for me? I was a bit of a purist, just wanting to fight anyone, anytime and not really planning the right moves," he said.

"When you've been sat down for a little bit you think there's way more to life. There's definitely way more to life than what I would have considered prior to the surgery. Fighting is something I enjoy doing but it should be an ambition, a plus. It's what I want to do but it's not all encompassing. I'm making sure I enjoy it, every time I step into training. All I could think of was winning fights regardless of what the cost was to myself."

Smith trains at Manchester Top Team, where Carl Prince is honing his striking skills and plotting when, where and who he should fight. His hope is to work his way back onto major shows, like Professional Fighters League [PFL] or Bellator and he harbours dreams of fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Octagon.

"I feel like I've still got a lot to prove but I don't see any reason why I can't get to the UFC," he said.

"I was close before when I was in Cage Warriors and I can't say if I would have won my last two fights if I had been 100 per cent, but I just feel like that European level is where I want to be. In big fights, big nights. One of the guys I last fought is fighting for a world title, the other is already a world champion. I feel like my level is well up there and I've really improved since I came back. I'm very confident. I'm feeling good."

When he's not training, Smith is taking care of his three dogs and fundraising. He and his dad ran the Manchester Half Marathon in October for the Cardiac Risk in the Young charity and he aims to partner with Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital's charity to raise funds and speak to youngsters whose sporting endeavours have been interrupted by heart issues.

His other past-time is letting his beloved Leeds put his heart through a different kind of stress as they fight for Premier League survival.

"We've got season tickets in the North Stand," he said.

"Leeds is probably one of the most stressful parts of my life. It's one of the best and worst things, it's everything. I get so much enjoyment out of it, getting to see my dad and my uncle but it's just stressful. Turning up hoping for a point or a win isn't the same as it was in the Championship under Bielsa but I really like the Leeds players, I like watching them, they always try their best, they give so much effort.

"I was going to more away games when I wasn't able to train and even though it pains me a lot of the time, it's one of the best parts of my life is Leeds."