Anthony Smith isn’t convinced that Dominick Reyes is aware of how calculated Jon Jones is.
Reyes will challenge Jones for the UFC light heavyweight championship this Saturday night (Feb. 8). The title clash is set to serve as the main event of UFC 247. Jones vs. Reyes is being held inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Smith Says Reyes Is Lost On What Jones Is Capable Of
Smith, who did battle with Jones back in March 2019, told ESPN’s Ariel Helwani that there’s more to fighting “Bones” than simply throwing leather with him inside the Octagon.
“Dominick Reyes has no idea what he’s getting into. And it’s not even the X’s and the O’s. There’s so much more to fighting Jon Jones that I learned now but would’ve been pretty helpful before the fight. And there’s a lot of things that guys don’t talk about because I think some people are afraid that it’s gonna make you look like a pansy or something. Like you’re not man enough to handle it but there’s a lot of stuff that goes into fighting Jon Jones and Dominick Reyes is about to find that out.”
“Lionheart” explained that Jones tends to get favoritism during fight week and often times throws the timing of his opponents off leading up to the bout.
“Alright, I’ll just be honest. All the people that treat you so well the week of a fight and the people that you feel like are your friends, it’s very different when you’re fighting Jon Jones and you go into the fight week. Usually, fight weeks are pretty relaxing for the most part like you got lots of media and stuff, and it’s not like I’ve never been in the main event before I fought Jon Jones. It’s not like I’m not used to that but he’s very much the favorite. He messes with your schedule, he just messes with you the whole time and by the time you get to the fight, you’re mentally exhausted.”
Smith is preparing for an April 25 clash with Glover Teixeira. Smith is the third-ranked UFC light heavyweight and he’s coming off a submission win over Alexander Gustafsson. Another victory or two could see him fighting for UFC gold again.
