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Over the weekend, Jon Jones returned to MMA with a bang, stopping Alexander Gustafsson in the third round of the UFC 232 main event to reclaim his light heavyweight title. Afterwards, the conversation quickly turned to whether he would move up to heavyweight to chase down his rival, Daniel Cormier, but Jones seems content to remain at 205 pounds and reestablish the legacy he has tarnished with outside-of-the-cage activities. Along those lines, third-ranked light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith was in the FOX booth on Saturday and in a post-fight interview with Jones, asked the new champion if he was free to fight in July, which Jones seemed amenable to.
“I believe that this is my era,” Jones said. “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’s good news for Smith who now says that his management is in talks with the UFC about setting a time and location for a bout with Jones.
“It sounds like he’s in,” Smith told TMZSports recently. “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.”
That July timeline that Smith floated out seems like it won’t be happening though. After he third extended layoff from fighting in the last few years, Jones has made it clear that he hopes to have a very active 2019 and Smith is more than ready to oblige him as soon as he is ready.
“Any time, any place, anywhere, I’m ready,” Smith said. “I’ll fight Jon this weekend if he wants to.”
Smith’s willingness to fight Jones earlier than July hasn’t stopped the light heavyweight champion from pursuing other options though. On Twitter, the champion called out Corey Anderson, who won a unanimous decision over Ilir Latifi at UFC 232 but Smith argues that he’s the only fight that makes sense for Jones if Cormier won’t come back down to 205.
“It’s what the fans want to see,” said Smith. “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.”
Smith has some good reasons to believe this. After winning season 19 of The Ultimate Fighter, Anderson has gone 9-4 in the UFC light heavyweight division, having lost to most of the very top contenders he has faced. Meanwhile Smith, who moved up to 205 last year, has gone 3-0 in the division, with three stoppages, two over former champions and one against recent title challenger Volkan Oezdemir. It’s an impressive run and one he thinks he can get rolling against arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.
“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.”
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New deal. CES signs multi-year deal to air on UFC Fight Pass.
VIDEO STEW
UFC 232 Rewind.
The Thrill and the Agony.
Fight Motion.
Most wanted fights for 2019.
Tommy Toe Hold.
LISTEN UP
Heavy Hands. Breaking down how Jon Jones and Amanda Nunes won their new belts.
Anik & Florian. Recapping UFC 232 plus an interview with Alexander Hernandez.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Woodley and Usman beef hard.
It’s a done deal and has been signed. March 2019 I will be the New WW Champion #AndNew
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
Bruh Quit lying to these people and getting them pumped. Will fight Colby and you this year. He has to catch this fade first https://t.co/3z4Xsqm1dO
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
What am I lying about? Do I not have a signed contract with your name on it? Just face the reality March 2nd you’re standing across the octagon from Me. Now get your shit together and let’s run it @TWooodley https://t.co/mvgRM3MTEz
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
Bruh.....you are coming off stupid and I don’t do Twitter Beef you got my line. But what you don’t have is a damn agreement signed by me. Now quit lying before I lose respect for you. I said I will fight both of you. The order is to be determined. Chill, take a number & fall back https://t.co/SdcYYuu46m
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
I’m coming off stupid...? The order has been determined by the Boss himself @danawhite now like you said you’re the only one who hasn’t signed. I wonder what that means https://t.co/cSeKcCqgpK
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
That means you are a liar. You just said it was signed and a done deal right? You and Ali forging my signature? I love how “The Bossman” and you are so close. 6 seconds ago you were getting shit on for being 30%. Stop this isn’t your style coming off wack https://t.co/Hd4ZJ22SZc
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
Enough of the talking, defend or vacate... March 2nd @TWooodley or that lil bitch @ColbyCovMMA gonna catch this fade. @danawhite @seanshelby @Mickmaynard2 @AliAbdelaziz00 pic.twitter.com/9DetU4LCv6
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
And you can tag the world Brodie I don’t give a fuck. I fight inbthe order that best suits my legacy. Y’all bout will see what the noise is bout https://t.co/w4eog2lLCm
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
Clearly you don’t call the shots, and You know I ain’t Till... “I want all the Smoke” and trust me March 2nd 2019 is a good time for you to catch a fade and I ain’t talking bout a haircut. https://t.co/NjyZjlRlcJ
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
Look at your skin G. You don’t call the shots either. The cookie will uncrumble they way it should. Remember you were boring 20sec Ago. Now I’m really done ✅ https://t.co/q5R19p0Etw
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
What my skin color got to do with this? Stop trying to blame somebody else because you want the easy fight and you ain’t getting it. March 2nd you pass me that belt weather you like it or not smh ♂️ #ItAintAlwaysAboutRace https://t.co/WgfMMnmeSi
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
Really thy got you coonin too! Shaking my damn head. Y’all both are the easy fight. Till was the challenge and you saw what happened to him. Just stop while you are ahead. I’m done. Hopefully you got a few more followers from the clout you were chasing today.
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
Look at you showing yo ass now... If I’m the easy fight then shut the fuck up and sign. I’ll see you March 2nd in Las Vegas if you don’t get lost on the way #FOH #Crybaby https://t.co/LwveL2Avlh
— KAMARU USMAN (@USMAN84kg) January 3, 2019
They got my guy trolling. You are in Colby’s Lane. I mentored both of you. Please don’t forget that. Enjoy you few new followers. https://t.co/J0nHbYx47f
— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) January 3, 2019
Farewell.
Now that the New Year has arrived I’m afraid I have to announce that the UFC has declined to re-sign me and my time with the promotion has come to an end. I just want to thank everyone at the promotion who made me feel welcome and appreciate at every single show.
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) January 1, 2019
I tried my utmost to show the fighters the respect they deserved for giving their lives to this sport and hope they felt that when they heard what I had to say. The UFC fans were truly amazing and I wish I could thank each and every one of you for your support and
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) January 1, 2019
even your criticism because it made me strive to be better. Wishing everyone a great 2019 and on to the next fight...Adios Amigos
— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) January 1, 2019
No one should.
Who does? https://t.co/1qhupjLGKr
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) January 2, 2019
“Biggest fight of 2019”
.@JonnyBones, might as well get the biggest fight of 2019 in the division out of the way first. If you want to leave zero doubt start with the #1 contender.
— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) January 3, 2019
BTW you set the bar low, I fought 4 times for the fans last year. pic.twitter.com/8DfsuQYNVh
He mad.
Ive said it before and I'll say it AGAIN....THEY STILL DON'T RESPECT ME!! Even told @Mickmaynard2 after the fight when he told me "you should be top 5 now" I replied "in doubt it!" #ufc232 #ufc @MMAjunkie @arielhelwani @AliAbdelaziz00 @danawhite @ufc https://t.co/jqwVly4cfD
— Corey Anderson UFC (@CoreyA_MMA) January 2, 2019
Nah.
I know guy @CoreyA_MMA can give him the work https://t.co/kV8gvzVwB6
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) January 3, 2019
Lauren Murphy laying it out.
So when I first signed w the UFC, I had a manager who I eventually caught stealing money from me. Companies would sponsor me, and and he would under report the amount they sponsored me for. If they sent me $1000, he would say they only sent $500, and then keep his 20% of the $500
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) January 1, 2019
A few times he even told me “they never sent you any money”, and he just kept the whole amount.
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) January 1, 2019
This was especially fucked up because I was a new signee to the UFC and he had a day job of air traffic controller. He made plenty of money without stealing it from a broke fighter
Anyway, I eventually caught him, fired him, and signed with @dannyrube, who has never done anything like that to me or any of his clients. But the reason I even bring it up, is because the dude now runs a company called.... wait for it...
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) January 1, 2019
“ETHICAL MMA”
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) January 1, 2019
Someone just told me recently, and I laughed until tears came out.
You can’t make this shit up ♀️
Anyway.
After I fired him, I won FOTN in my next performance. He was there. If he hadn’t stolen what he did to begin with, he could have made 20% of that ♀️
There’s a lot of shady people in MMA that want to take advantage of hard working (but sometimes ignorant, or naive) fighters. Watch yourself, and who you surround yourself with. Many many many people wot have your best interest at heart. Even if you pay them to.
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) January 1, 2019
Keep in mind too, guys, this was when I first signed with UFC, soooo... five (!) years ago ( )
— Lauren Murphy (@LaurenMurphyMMA) January 2, 2019
It was before the Reebok deal. Everyone hated on the Reebok deal but it saves a lot of fighters from shit like this.
Conor 2.0.
Preparing the next generation of the takeover
— UFC (@ufc) January 1, 2019
@TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/qjlb22FjMH
I support this idea.
Dear @BlessedMMA next time you win your fight can we please get the haka dance? Love yours truly ~Mighty
— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouse) January 3, 2019
Say no more fam @MightyMouse https://t.co/5Hirl6McW1
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) January 3, 2019
TODAY IN MMA HISTORY
2015: Jon Jones handed Daniel Cormier his first and only defeat, winning a unanimous decision at UFC 182.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Eduardo Dantas (20-6) vs. Manny Vasquez (12-3); Bellator 215, Feb. 15.
Magomed Ankalaev (11-1) vs. Darko Stosic (13-1); UFC Prague, Feb. 23.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Thanks for reading and see y’all tomorrow.
EXIT POLL
Poll
Who should Jon Jones fight next (other than Daniel Cormier)?
This poll is closed
-
47%
Anthony Smith
(782 votes) -
3%
Corey Anderson
(51 votes) -
49%
Really? These are the only non-DC options available?
(807 votes)
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