After rattling off three straight wins at 205 pounds, the Nebraska native was granted a title shot against Jon Jones in 2019. He came up short in his bid to become champion but Smith bounced back rather quickly with a resounding victory over multi-time title contender Alexander Gustafsson.
Now as he prepares to face Glover Teixeira in the main event at UFC Jacksonville on Wednesday night, Smith knows a win will vault him right back into title contention, although another shot at Jones probably won’t happen right away.
Right now, Jones hasn’t determined his next opponent but it will likely come down to a rematch against Dominick Reyes or a new fight with Jan Blachowicz.