Anthony Smith is going to have to hope that the number 13 is as unlucky as it usually is when he faces Jon Jones on Saturday.
That’s the number of title fights Jones will have on his resume after his UFC 235 main event meeting with Smith. The previous dozen have all gone the way of “Bones,” and few opponents have been able to truly threaten the most dominant light heavyweight champion in company history. Smith, a longtime journeyman who emerged as a darkhorse contender last year, has been saying all of the right things about not being counted out despite his relative anonymity compared to the luminaries that Jones has beaten in the past.