Jon Jones Looking Forward to Fighting All the ‘Young Talent’ at 205 Pounds

Jon Jones is unequivocally the greatest light heavyweight the sport of MMA has ever seen, and he proved it once again on Saturday night by trouncing Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC 235.

Many in the MMA community expected “Bones” to throttle Smith and knock him out, but “Bones” was unable to finish off his underdog foe. Yes, the Jackson-Wink star did whatever he wanted and wobbled “Lionheart” a few times, but Jones retained his title via unanimous decision. Jones was happy for the win but admitted that he would have liked a stoppage. He gave all the credit to Smith for being tougher than expected.

“Hats off to Anthony Smith, I know why they call him ‘Lion Heart,’” Jones said after his win. “I have never had someone talk to me while I’m hitting them, it was amazing, this guy is so durable, he’s like the terminator. I definitely wish I would’ve finished the fight [but] he was extremely durable. He was extremely calm. I put him in a lot a positions where I think people would have freaked out, and he kept his composure.”

While some reporters and fans have been clamoring for “Bones” to move up to heavyweight to either fight longtime rival Daniel Cormier a third time or former UFC heavyweight king and current WWE universal champion Brock Lesnar, UFC president Dana White seems determined for his 205-pound monarch to defend against Brazil’s Thiago Santos. Jones appeared open to that fight, but he was non-committal at the post-fight press conference.

“Whoever it may be, I’m ready to take them all,” Jones said. “I think all these younger fighters should get their opportunity at a world title. When you’re sitting in my position, it’s like, who am I to deny people?

“Right now, I’m just going to enjoy this win and go back to the drawing board and figure out ways to get better,” he added. “There’s a lot of young talent in the UFC, so many guys looking unbelievable. That’s going to be a challenge itself, but right now I’m just going to go home, take a shower and enjoy my team. I’m not going to talk ahead too much. I’m going to get with my coaches. We are a close, tight-knit family. This career is not mine, it’s all of ours.”

One thing is clear; Jones is a generational talent and he knows what his legacy can be moving forward. He said he’s learned from his mistakes and is ready to leave a mark on the sport like nobody before him has.

“At the end of the day, I feel like this is my time, my era, and I was meant to be here to be a great, great champion,” he said. “This belt here is supposed to be covered in red rubies. And I got a new challenge to get this thing covered in red rubies, and that means I got to beat a lot of ass, and I’m up for the challenge.”