Light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is confident he will be able to beat 205lb champion Jon Jones if they ever rematch.
‘Lionheart’ was on the end of a five-round beat down at the hands of ‘Bones’ when the pair met 12 months ago. Jones was awarded the unanimous decision victory despite being deducted two points for an illegal shot in the fourth round.
Since the bout, the champion has twice defended his belt but has been unconvincing against Thiago Santos and Dominick Reyes. Meanwhile, Smith got back to winning ways, by taking out long-time heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC Stockholm in June 2019.
Next up for Smith is another former title challenger in Glover Teixeira. The top 205lb fighters will headline at UFC Lincoln on April 25 – Coronavirus permitting, with the winner putting themselves within touching distance of a shot at UFC gold.
Speaking to ESPN ahead of his fight next month, Smith said he expects to quickly dispose of his Brazilian opponent before moving on to big fights or another title shot.
“This might be the last chance to fight in my home state. If things go the way I see them going for me, I think I’ll have a dominant performance over Glover. I think I’ll get him out of there quickly, and then we are looking for big fights, and we are looking at pay-per-views, and we are looking at potential title shots soon. Those types of things don’t happen in Nebraska.”
If he does get another crack at the belt, Smith says he knows he’ll beat Jones and, as a result, will not get another chance to compete in his home state of Nebraska ever again.
“I’m thinking in the future, like I know I can beat Jon Jones. When I beat Jon Jones, what are the chances we are ever coming back to Nebraska? Unlikely,” he continued. “Those fights are going to be in Vegas and be in big places. And, as bad as it is to say, Nebraska is not a hotbed for MMA. So, knowing that sucks, that if it doesn’t happen now, it may never happen, and that is really tough.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
Do you think Anthony Smith can dethrone the light-heavyweight champion, Jon Jones?