Stephen A. Smith shares hilarious but real take on '$25 million to survive 25 minutes against Jon Jones' challenge

As Jon Jones heads into UFC 309, where he defends his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, a challenge has emerged, and it has drawn the attention of Stephen A. Smith. An ESPN post generating hype for this weekend's event questioned whether fans could survive 25 minutes in the cage against Jones.

The reward for doing so successfully would be $25 million. The post, which was shared on Instagram, led to countless comments, including one from Smith, one of the most well-known sports journalists around. Naturally, his reaction to the challenge was humorous.

Not only did Smith scoff at the possibility of surviving 25 minutes with Jones in the cage, he went on to suggest that he doesn't believe he would be capable of surviving for even one minute.

He wrote:

"Oh, Hell-to-The-No! Maybe 25 seconds, but not 25 minutes"

A screenshot of Stephen A. Smith's reaction to the 25-minute Jon Jones challenge

Jon Jones is set to take on Stipe Miocic this Saturday, as he attempts to make the first successful defense of his heavyweight strap at UFC 309. Miocic, who is arguably the division's greatest-ever fighter, is at the twilight of his career, and it's unclear how exactly he will perform come fight night.

He is 42 years old and hasn't fought in more than three years. Moreover, the last time he set foot inside the octagon, he was knocked out in dominant fashion by Francis Ngannou. He will look to prove his detractors wrong and turn back the clock one more time when he faces Jones, who is widely regarded as the best to ever do it in the sport of mixed martial arts.

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Multiple fighters have survived going 25 minutes with Jon Jones

Jon Jones hasn't always been the most prolific finisher. Several of the UFC's best fighters have managed to avoid being finished. 10 of them, in fact. However, most of them were never the same again. Dominick Reyes, for example, who pushed Jones to the limit, has since been on a crushing downward spiral ever since he lost a narrow decision to Jones.

Similarly, Thiago Santos never recovered from his fight with 'Bones,' losing six of his next 8 fights. So, while fighters might go the whole 25 minutes with Jones, they seem to lose a piece of themselves inside the octagon.