Just a week after losing to UFC champ Jon Jones, Anthony Smith already has his next fight booked — and it’s another big one.
Jon Jones’ last two victims will get a chance to redeem themselves against each other.
Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Smith are set to meet in the UFC on ESPN+ 10 main event on June 1 in Stockholm, Sweden, ESPN reported Saturday evening.
Gustafsson lost to Jones at UFC 232 last December via third-round TKO. The fight was for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. It was a long-awaited rematch from their 2013 clash, a successful Jones title defense that is regarded as one of the best fights of all time.
Before his rematch against Jones, “The Mauler” hadn’t fought since a May 2017 knockout of Glover Teixeira.
Smith fell to “Bones” at UFC 235 just last weekend in Las Vegas. “Lionheart,” a major underdog heading into the bout, survived all five rounds against the pound-for-pound great, but ultimately lost on the scorecards. Jones, however, landed an illegal knee in the fourth round, and had Smith been unable to continue, he would have won the fight — and the belt — via disqualification.
Prior to his first shot at UFC gold, Smith had won three in a row at 205 pounds, including a submission of Volkan Oezdemir and knockouts of former champs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans. Smith moved up from middleweight last year after a brutal loss to now-light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos.
UFC Stockholm takes place at Ericsson Glove. No other fights have been officially booked for the card.