As long as the Nevada State Athletic Commission gives him the green light, Jon Jones is signed on to fight Anthony Smith at UFC 235 in March. Several UFC fighters have been interested in fighting Jones after he returned from his suspension to beat up Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 last month — including Luke Rockhold, Corey Anderson and Smith.
But it’s not confirmed that Jones’ next opponent will be 30-year-old Smith, who’s currently on a 3-fight winning streak after beating Volkan Oezdemir, Shogun Rua and Rashad Evans.
The delay in the approval from the Nevada Commission is that Jones tested positive for tiny traces of the anabolic steroid Turinabol just days before UFC 232, and the Commission could not set a hearing on such short notice. UFC went to the California State Athletic Commission and ultimately decided to grant Jones a license. The expectation is the Nevada Commission will see it the same way as California and will also approve Jones.
Smith is currently the #3 ranked light heavyweight.
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