NEBRASKA CITY – Anthony “Lionheart” Smith has made it clear: he wants to fight defending UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones today, tomorrow, next month, whenever.
Smith, who grew up in Nebraska City and trains in Omaha and Denver, tweeted to Jones “let’s dance” after Jones reclaimed his 205-pound title by defeating Alexander Gustafsson in UFC 232 via a TKO in the third-round last weekend in Los Angeles.
According to reports, the former middleweight fighter appears to be getting the championship bout he wants. TMZ Sports reports Jones signed to fight Smith at UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas, if he’s cleared by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Jones (23-1) tested positive for the anabolic steroid, Turinabol early last month. He’s expected to appear before the commission on Jan. 29. The championship bout will not be official until after the results of that hearing.
He posted a photo on Instagram of him watching Smith on Youtube with the caption, “so much to study, this is going to be fun.”
Smith responded on Twitter, saying “you can’t study what’s never been done before #Lionheart.”
.@JonnyBones you can’t study what’s never been done before #Lionheart pic.twitter.com/EaULwImn9D
— Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) January 4, 2019
Smith (31-13), 30, played football and wrestled while in Nebraska City before dropping out of high school at 17 to pursue his fighting career.
He’s currently ranked third in the light heavyweight division and surged onto the championship scene in 2018 with victories over Rashad Evans, Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua and Volkan Oezdemir.
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