Early career Smirnovas started his career in 2000. He fought mainly for
Rings Lithuania and
Shooto Lithuania, obtaining a record of sixteen victories and five losses until the first half of 2005.
K-1 and K-1 Hero's Smirnovas faced Tadeush Cholodinskij on March 10, 2006, at
K-1: East Europe Max GP for the K-1 East Europe Max heavyweight title. He won via split decision after three, five-minutes rounds. Smirnovas faced
Pride FC veteran
Kazushi Sakuraba on August 5, 2006, at ''K-1 Hero's 6'' in the quarterfinal of Hero's 2006 light heavyweight grand prix. Despite dominating the beginning of the contest, almost knocking Sakuraba out with a long sequence of
ground-and-pound, Smirnovas lost via submission due to an armbar still in the first round. Smirnovas replaced Sakuraba in the semifinal as he was unable to compete due to medical conditions. He faced
Yoshihiro Akiyama on October 9, 2006, at ''K-1 Hero's 7'', losing via TKO in the first round. ==Championships and accomplishments==