Complex sentence: Antón stated extant phylogenetic bracketing (where the features of the closest extant relatives of a fossil taxon are used as reference) is the most reliable way of restoring life-appearance and the cat-like "Smilodon" restorations by Knight are therefore still accurate today.
Split into simpler sentences: Antón stated extant phylogenetic bracketing (where the features of the closest extant relatives of a fossil taxon are used as reference) is the most reliable way of restoring life-appearance. According to Antón, the cat-like "Smilodon" restorations by Knight are therefore still accurate today.