Anthony Smith explains the attitude that will help beat Jon Jones at UFC 235.
Smith first started calling for a title fight shot after submitting Volkan Oezdemir last October. Anthony Smith has never backed down from his desire to fight for title since then. It seems as though Smith is willing to go through the longest reigning light heavyweight champion in UFC history to achieve his dreams.
Jones enjoys a hard-earned reputation as, arguably, the most talented mixed martial artist to ever enter the octagon. Whoever has fought him in recent times had to commit for an uphill task. Some people also admit to the fact that he’s an imposing force of nature when he competes. Jones has opponents at a disadvantage from the start of fight.
Anthony Smith believes that it’s these very reasons that that he’s most suited person for this job. Smith believes that he has more determination beat Jones – and will not build him up as the greatest of all time.
Anthony Smith explained,
“I think you can’t get wrapped up into who Jon Jones is and that’s what people do, that’s what [Alexander Gustafsson] did. I don’t understand how people let that happen at this level but at the same time now that I’ve been face to face with Jon, if you have a little bit of bitch in you and you’re just a little unsure of yourself, Jon has a presence. He has an aura about him.
“If you’re the kind of person that gives as s—t about that, I could see how that could get into your head. I just don’t care.”
Anthony Smith understands why Jones is still unbeaten. On the other hand, Smith also realizes the fact he makes mistakes and has his flaws inside the cage. Smith said,
“I’ll never be the person to say Jon Jones isn’t skilled. I’m fine with saying that. At the same time, you can’t hold him up on a pedestal.”
“I don’t care how good he is. No one fights me the same way they fight everybody else. If you go back and look at all my opponents, look at how they fought me and then look at how they fought the person before me. It’s never the same. The same presence and aura that Jon Jones brings to the fight is the same look that I get on everyone else’s faces when they’re in front of me. People can tell that I don’t f—king care.”
Jones certainly has not faced such an attitude during his entire title run in the UFC. It seems that Smith is confident as he has worked hard throughout his career. Part of Smith’s shtick is that he has won the fights he wasn’t supposed to win. Moreover, his record is built on opponents who others thought were better than him.
On Saturday night, Anthony Smith intends to add Jones to that list.
“I don’t care about Jon Jones. I don’t at all. This training camp hasn’t been about Jon Jones at all. It’s been about the problems he brings to the table. He’s just a blank face with a body and I’m going to run through that body.”
“It’s going to shock the world and they’re all going to be surprised but I’m not. There’s not going to be some huge celebration and I’m not going to cry in the Octagon and pretend that I just pulled off some impossible feat cause I expected to be here.”
