"Smart thing to do is to take it" - Israel Adesanya explains why Anthony Smith should've taken DQ win against Jon Jones

Israel Adesanya (left), Anthony Smith vs Jon Jones (center) & Anthony Smith (right) [Image Credits- @freestylebender on YouTube]

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya recently offered his take on Anthony Smith's decision to refuse a DQ win when Jon Jones struck him with an illegal knee at UFC 235.

The headliner at UFC 235 saw Smith take on the then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a title fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. After going the distance with 'Bones', Smith recorded a unanimous decision loss.

Smith had the opportunity to walk away with the win and the title when he was struck with an illegal knee to the head while he was on the ground in the fourth round.

Check out footage of the illegal knee below:

Jon Jones deducted 2 points for an illegal knee to the head of Smith. #ufc235 #vegas https://t.co/2ad1CQmHoV

After referee Herb Dean deemed the knee to be illegal and intentional, Smith refused to accept a DQ win and took a handful of minutes to recover and went back into the fight. This prompted Dean to deduct two points from Jones instead of slapping him with a DQ loss.

While in conversation with Dan Hooker in a video that was recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya asserted that Smith should have accepted the DQ result and walked away with the title.

In addition to laying claim to the title, Adesanya declared that Smith would have received the opportunity to compete in yet another title fight, which meant a heavier fight purse:

"The smart thing to do is take [the DQ win] because then you get the rematch and then you get the title money and then you look after your family."

Israel Adesanya hedges his bets ahead of Anthony Smith's next fight

In the same interaction with Dan Hooker, Israel Adesanya offered fans his take on Anthony Smith's upcoming fight against rising UFC light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev.

The duo are scheduled to lock horns with each other on the main card of UFC 277. The action is set to unfold at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Both Hooker and 'The Last Stylebender' rallied behind Ankalaev. Adesanya claimed that if he were a betting man, he would favor the Russian light heavyweight. Ankalaev has certainly impressed fans with his record, having accumulated 17 wins for one loss over the course of his lengthy career:

"If I'm going to bet money, I would put it on [Magomed Ankalaev]."

Check out Israel Adesanya's full interaction with Dan Hooker below: