The action unfolds later this evening (Sat., Mar. 2, 2019) at UFC 235 live on pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as light heavyweight king Jon Jones puts his belt on the line against confident finisher Anthony Smith.
It’s a huge matchup in the UFC’s light heavyweight division not only because Jones just reclaimed his title with a win over Alexander Gustafsson this past December, but also because “Lionheart” represents the last line of defense at 205 pounds when it comes to deserving contenders.
While Smith is a massive underdog to hand Jones his first true loss inside of the Octagon, the veteran journeyman does possess a 90 percent career finishing rate. That is considerably more than Jones’ 70 percent and should help Smith’s confidence heading into tonight’s main event.
It’s a huge clash of light heavyweight titans that you will not want to miss. But when will the two MMA stars actually take center stage later tonight at UFC 235?
With four other fights taking place on the PPV main card starting at 10:00 p.m. ET, Jones vs. Smith is likely to begin sometime around 12:15 a.m. ET (Sunday).
The opening main card bout between former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt and Pedro Munhoz could end in a finish, especially as “No Love” tries to recover from two-straight knockout losses to rival T.J. Dillashaw. Next up will be a women’s strawweight clash pitting former Ultimate Fighter standout Tecia Torres against rising Chinese contender Weili Zhang, which is the best main card candidate to go the distance.
Luckily, the next fight on the docket between former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler and newly-acquired Ben Askren may very well end early. Lawler can catch Askren coming in and hand “Funky his first professional loss, or Askren can take “Ruthless” down and grind away for a TKO stoppage.
Last but not least, a co-main event clash between UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and streaking contender Kamaru Usman has all the ingredients to produce a memorable affair. But considering Usman has never been finished in UFC competition and Woodley tends to start slow in championship bouts, it’s likely that the 170-pound title fight trickles into the fourth and fifth rounds.
If things run late Mania will be sure to provide an updated start time for tonight’s Jones vs. Smith title fight.
For the complete UFC 235 fight card click here.
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