Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson Official For UFC 192 Headliner
Continuing the trend from this week’s (Wed., July 15, 2015) UFC Fight Night 71, the UFC is back from today’s UFC Fight Night 72 in Scotland with another announcement about an upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) headliner.
News arrived this afternoon that Daniel Cormier will make his first official title defense against Alexander Gustafsson in the main event of the October 3 card from Houston, Texas.
The bout was targeted for the fall event recently and has now been made official. Many thought that Cormier would first defend his title against his rival, No. 3-ranked Ryan Bader, following his submission win over Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in the main event of May 23’s UFC 187, but Gustafsson somewhat surprisingly got the shot despite his knockout loss to Johnson at UFC on FOX 14 this year.
Cormier confirmed that he is still dealing with a long-held knee injury, but is undergoing stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) in order to avoid surgery and make it to the fight.
The newly crowned champion spoke up about the match to the Houston Chronicle:
“I think Alex is a worthy opponent. He’ll be a tough challenge. I’m sure we’ll give the Houston fans an exciting and fun fight.”
It was previously announced that Bader would take on a returning Rashad Evans, the former champion who will seek another title run after nearly two full years off, as the other confirmed bout at UFC 192.
Cormier’s training partner, former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, is healthy and has expressed interest in fighting on the card, but nothing has been made official on that front as of yet.
