Veteran fighter who once lost to Jared Cannonier reacts as Team Jon Jones alum from TUF 17 makes history at UFC Vegas 102

UFC Vegas 102 yielded several jaw-dropping moments. Among them was Jared Cannonier turning back the clock. Another moment though, actually draw one of his former opponents out of the woodwork, as Kelvin Gastelum took to X/Twitter to heap praise on Elijah Smith for beating Vince Morales at bantamweight.

It is worth noting that Elijah Smith's father, Gilbert Smith, was a member of the great Jon Jones' team on 'The Ultimate Fighter 17.' Last evening, he had the privilege of cornering his son to victory. This led to Gastelum describing them as a historic moment with no equivalent in the promotion's history.

"Gilbert Smith who was on TUF 17 over on Team Jon Jones, just cornered his son Elijah Smith into his 1st UFC win. Making them the 1st ever father-son duo to ever compete in the Octagon. Congratulations @gjsvictorymma"

Despite Gastelum's well-meaning tweet, it is ultimately incorrect. The Smiths aren't the only father-son duo to have competed in the octagon. The legendary Randy Couture and his son Ryan Couture come to mind as another father-son duo who fought for the promotion.

Randy, who has long since retired from MMA, was once regarded with reverence. He is the oldest champion in the promotion's history, and one of the first fighters to capture championships in two different divisions, albeit not simultaneously, as he had stints with the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles.

His son, Ryan, didn't have nearly as successful a career. He fought twice in the promotion, losing to the now 20-17 (1) Ross Pearson and well-known overachiever Al Iaquinta in his only UFC fights.

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The difference between the two father-son duos in the UFC

The greatest difference between the Smiths and Coutures is that Gilbert Smith had the opportunity to corner his son in a UFC fight. The same privilege was not afforded to Randy Couture, who had and continues to have a longstanding feud with the promotion and Dana White, in particular, despite his legacy.

For this reason, he claims he was actually barred from cornering his son. In this sense, the Smiths makes up the only father-son duo to work together during fight night.