Injured light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier forced out of UFC 206 main event
There was a time UFC 206 looked like it may be one of the biggest events on the organization’s calendar this year.
Now the Dec. 10 card doesn’t even have a championship fight.
Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier suffered an injury and has been forced to pull out of his scheduled title defense against Anthony Johnson in Toronto.
The event had been subject to months of speculation as the most likely landing spot for former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre to make his long-rumored return to competition after retiring three years ago. That never materialized, however, and the rematch between Johnson and Cormier was tabbed as the headliner.
Now that fight is off, as well.
Details of the injury have not been revealed, but Cormier isn’t expected to be out of action very long. Johnson confirmed the news Friday morning on Twitter.
“Worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace,” Johnson wrote. “I wish nothing but the best for DC and I hope you have a full recovery champ.”
Cormier responded to the post just minutes later.
“I apologize,” he wrote. “We will get to rock and roll bruh. Once again my apologies.”
Cormier also pulled out of a title defense against Jon Jones in April. That fight was rebooked for July and Jones was removed from that fight when an out-of-competition drug test was flagged by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, leading Cormier to fight Anderson Silva in a non-title bout.
The light heavyweight belt has not been on the line since Cormier retained it with a split-decision win over Alexander Gustafsson in October 2015.
Cormier first won the belt, which was vacant at the time, with a third-round submission of Johnson in May 2015.
UFC officials have yet to announce whether Johnson will remain on the card against a new opponent or a new main event will be booked.
A featherweight bout between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis is left as the most prominent fight on the card for now.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.
