Anderson Silva will step in to fight Daniel Cormier at UFC 200

A day after losing the man widely considered the best fighter in mixed martial arts history from a blockbuster card, the UFC has replaced him with the man he surpassed for the title.

Anderson Silva has been tabbed to step in for Jon Jones to fight Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, sources close to the organization confirmed after TMZ first reported the story.

Cormier’s light heavyweight belt will not be in the line in the three-round fight, which will be contested at 205 pounds.

Silva, the longtime middleweight champion, has not recorded an official victory since 2012. He has suffered three losses in his last four fights, with his lone victory over that stretch overturned due to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs.

A similar result by Jones opened the door for Silva to step into what still may now go down as one of the biggest events in UFC history.

The UFC also announced that the women’s bantamweight title bout between Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes will serve as the main event of UFC 200.

Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar will return to the UFC for the first time since 2011 to take on Mark Hunt in the new main event.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj