Anthony Smith has the biggest opportunity of his career Saturday in Las Vegas.
But only three and a half years ago, he was tearing his way through the regional scene trying to earn his way back to the big show.
Smith (31-13 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Saturday challenges Jon Jones (23-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) for the light heavyweight title in the UFC 235 main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and UFC Fight Pass.
In September 2015, Smith was a couple years removed from a three-fight skid, including a Strikeforce submission loss to Roger Gracie, then a submission loss to Antonio Brago Neto in what at the time was his only UFC fight.
But he rebounded with back-to-back wins in his only two fights for Bellator, then won and defended CFFC’s middleweight title before he got a shot with RFA. At RFA 30, Smith headlined against fellow former UFC fighter Brock Jardine and was impressive with a first-round TKO.
In our new feature in partnership with AXS TV Fights, take a look at the AXS TV “Fight of the Week” in the video above and check out Smith’s finish of Jardine in full from Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb.
Then don’t miss his title challenge against Jones at UFC 235 on Saturday from Las Vegas.
For more on UFC 235, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
