Anthony Smith ‘Still Chasing’ Rematch With Jon Jones
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith’s goal remains the same — challenging Jon Jones once again.
Smith got the biggest win of his career when he upset Alexander Gustafsson with a fourth-round submission win at UFC Stockholm on Saturday. The win will likely move him above “The Mauler” in the rankings, to No. 2 at least. But having only lost to Jones in March, Smith is unlikely to get another title shot so soon.
However, that doesn’t mean he’s not targeting a rematch in the future:
“I’ll tell you the same thing I’ve told Jon – I’ll see you again,” Smith told reporters (via MMA Junkie). “And that’s what I’m working toward. I’m working toward the fight with Jon. I want to get back to the title shot, and that’s the goal. So whatever that looks like when I come back, I’ll figure out this hand injury and go from there. I wouldn’t still be here if I wasn’t chasing Jon Jones.
“I think it’s [Gustafsson] absolutely the biggest (win) of my career, probably the one I’m most proud of, just because of what happened in my last fight. Typically, guys that come off of title losses don’t bounce back like that.”
Well-Earned Rest For Smith
Smith suffered a broken hand in his win over Gustafsson and was also carrying undisclosed injuries heading into the bout. Given the state of the division, he now plans on taking the summer off and recovering after making a quick turnaround following his loss to Jones.
“I can just sit at the top and let those guys fight it out,” Smith added. “I’m going to hang out up here for a while and we’ll see what it looks like later on.”
