After his light-heavyweight title win on Saturday night, Jon Jones happened to be interviewed by 205lb contender Anthony Smith, who happened to be on the analyst panel for FOX that night, and needless to say ‘Lionheart’ couldn’t resist calling him out to fight in July.
“I believe that this is my era,” Jones responded. “I believe that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I believe that I’m only getting better and I will defeat whoever I have to defeat. . . July? Bro, I got you in July if that’s what it’s gonna be. I’ve got anybody. You know I’m not worried about a damn thing.”
That was music to Smith’s ears as he’s eager to fight for the title at the drop of a hat.
“It sounds like he’s in,” Smith told TMZSports. “Of course, [my manager] has already been talking to the UFC and I think that they’re working that out and seeing what that looks like as far as timelines and stuff, but I’m in.
“Any time, any place, anywhere, I’m ready. I’ll fight Jon this weekend if he wants to.”
Of course there are fighters who are also vying for a chance to fight Jones, but Smith believes his exciting fighting style makes him the man for the job.
“It’s what the fans want to see. They don’t want to see Jon go in there and beat up on Corey Anderson or whoever else. They don’t want to see that sh*t. There’s nothing there.”
Going up against someone of Jones’ caliber could be daunting, but though Smith respects what he’s accomplished, he’s convinced he can be the fighter to put an end to his long winning streak.
“Anytime you take out Alexander Gustafsson with a finish, that’s a huge accomplishment,” Smith said. “So hats off to Jon, that was obviously a great performance, but I’ve seen him look better. I saw a beatable man. I saw a guy that I can compete with and a guy that I can beat. I’m not wowed by Jon Jones. That’s not saying that I don’t think he’s a phenomenal fighter, but I’m not afraid of him and I think that Jon has a lot of people beat before they even get in there. I think people look at Jon like he’s an uphill battle and this unreachable task and I don’t see him like that. I’m not wowed by him. I see a man that I can beat and a person with holes, like any other human, that can be exploited.”
