Anthony Smith Says 'I'm Gonna Finish Jon Jones,' Urges Fans to Bet on Him

Anthony Smith has vowed to "finish Jon Jones" when he faces the light heavyweight champion at UFC 235 on Saturday, and he encouraged fans to back him in the fight.

He spoke to TMZ Sports ahead of the bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada:

"I'm gonna finish Jon Jones," Smith said. "I'm gonna put this fist on his chin and he's gonna go down. And, whether he stays down is up to him. But, if he gets back up, I'll do it again."

Per TMZ, Smith is the 23-4 outsider to win on Saturday, while Jones is the heavy favourite at 11-100.

"If you wanna make some money, throw some money on me, man," he added. "If you don't and you bet against me, I'm sorry you're gonna lose your money. And to everyone else, give me 25 minutes of your time. Give me 25 minutes of your time and I'll make it worth it."

Smith, 30, has often been the underdog throughout his career, as he told MMA Fighting's Luke Thomas:

The American's 31-13 record lends itself to underdog status, though he has lost just twice since the start of 2014 in a run of 16 fights.

He'll need to channel all of that momentum into a career-best performance if he's to pull off a historic upset on Saturday, though.

Jones is 23-1 in MMA, and his only defeat was via disqualification for illegal elbows back in 2009.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden thinks Jones is better than ever now:

Of Smith's 31 wins, 17 came via knockout and 11 via submission, so he has a track record of ending fights early, but Jones is yet to experience either.

Against Jones' potent combination of powerful, varied striking and ability to take fights to the mat, it's difficult to see Smith coming away with a win.