Volkan Oezdemir isn’t counting out Anthony Smith at UFC 235.

On March 2, Smith will challenge UFC light heavyweight title holder Jon Jones. The title bout will headline UFC 235 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Smith is going into the bout as a heavy underdog, but his last opponent doesn’t believe the outcome is a total lock.

Oezdemir Says Jones Needs Quick Finish Over Smith
“No Time” competed against Smith back in October 2018 at UFC Moncton. Despite having success early, Oezdemir ended up being submitted by “Lionheart.” Speaking to John Hyon Ko of The Body Lock, Oezdemir explained why he feels Jones will have to finish Smith early:

“I think I’m still going to have to go with Jones but Anthony Smith is a surprising fighter. He’s durable and I think that’s one of his weapons — a way he’s going to upset everybody with Jon Jones. He’s still there, he has tons of experience, a lot of long fights, and a lot of success and knockouts in the later rounds. Somebody you need to finish really quick and that’s something Jon Jones will have to do.”

Oezdemir is scheduled to take on Dominick Reyes at UFC on ESPN+ 5. That card will take place on March 16 in London.