Jon Jones isn’t doubting Anthony Smith’s worthiness as a title challenger.
On March 2, Jones will defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight gold against Smith. The bout will headline UFC 235 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Serving as the co-main event will be a welterweight title clash between champion Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman.
Jones Speaks On Smith’s Title Shot
Jones spoke to MMAJunkie.com‘s Mike Bohn ahead of UFC 235. “Bones” said he expects Smith to pose a challenge:
“When the camp started I didn’t know anything about him, really. Now that I’ve been studying him I see he’s a worthy opponent. To everyone else, he’s this gigantic underdog, but I take him very seriously. He’s done some nice things in his past fights and he has my full attention. My goal is to finish the fight and dominate him, but I give him my full respect and he’s ready to be in this position. I’m excited for a good challenge. I think right now he’s just on a nice win streak. That’s the improvement is he’s got a win streak. With that being said, I’m on like a 10-year win streak. I give him full credit and respect, but I don’t doubt myself.”
Jones captured the UFC 205-pound gold back in December. He scored a third-round TKO victory over Alexander Gustafsson in their rematch. Since moving to the light heavyweight division, Smith has earned finishes over Rashad Evans, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and Volkan Oezdemir.
Do you think Anthony Smith poses a threat to Jon Jones?
