A. Smith after UFC victory. Photo: UFC/Disclosure
Considered, by many, as the greatest name in the history of the sport, Jon Jones He reigned in the light heavyweight category (up to 93kg) for almost a decade, but gave up his belt to move up to heavyweight (up to 120,2kg). And, although his legacy is eternal, Anthony Smith considers that there is no longer a 'shadow' of the 'Bones' in the division.
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“I think I should have (moved on) faster. This has happened before. Is Charles Oliveira (From the Bronx) less of a champion for not having beaten Khabib (Nurmagomedov)? Will say that Kamaru Usman isn't the real champion since he never beat GSP (Georges St-Pierre)? We were always stuck under that 'umbrella' like a shadow,” Smith said at media day for the UFC Las Vegas 37.
For Anthony, the superiority of Jon Jones has always been evident with her dominance inside the octagon in front of athletes in the category. The North American, however, believes that his victories are attributed to his own quality and have no connection with the quality of his opponents.
“The MMA world saw that the light heavyweight guys are very good. Obviously, Jon Jones is, perhaps, the best of all time, depending on who you talk to. But that doesn't mean the rest (of the fighters) are no good. The athletes were defeated by Jones, but that doesn't mean we were bad. Just that maybe we are some of those boxers who existed and lived at the same time as Muhammad Ali. Maybe that's just the position we were stuck in”, concluded the athlete.
With a streak of two consecutive victories, Anthony Smith aims to continue his good phase in Ultimate and now faces Ryan spann in the main fight of UFC Las Vegas 37 this Saturday (18). In his career, there are 35 wins and 16 losses, and he has already faced his own Jon Jones for the title, in 2019. At the time, the athlete was defeated in a unanimous decision by the judges.
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