There was a point on Saturday when Jon Jones could have lost his UFC light heavyweight title to Anthony Smith, and it wasn’t anything to do with being in danger of a knockout or submission.
During the fourth round, Jones landed what looked to be an accidental but illegal knee to his opponent’s head, which put the entire fight in jeopardy.
Smith could have opted for a DQ win, but ‘Lionheart’ brushed off the knee and continued into the fourth and fifth rounds, ultimately losing a clear-cut unanimous decision.
Speaking of that ‘nerve-wracking’ moment in the fourth round, ‘Bones’ said he had flashbacks of his 2009 fight against Matt Hamill, which he lost via disqualification after landing a series of illegal downward elbows in the first round.