Originally Targeted For UFC 191, Cormier vs. Gustafsson On ‘Slight Delay’

Fresh off his title-sealing submission victory over Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in the main event of May 23’s UFC 187 from Las Vegas, newly minted UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was somewhat surprisingly slated to face No. 4 Alexander Gustafsson for the strap by UFC President Dana White.

The booking was a bit of a head-scratcher in that ‘The Mauler’ had lost to ‘Rumble’ by vicious knockout only four months before at UFC on FOX 14, but he got the fight over No. 3 Ryan Bader nonetheless.

And apparently the bout was supposed to happen at September 5’s UFC 191 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, but MMAjunkie has confirmed that a UFC official clarified that the bout had indeed been put on hold due to a Cormier knee injury, but only deemed it a ‘slight delay.’

Cormier has been dealing with nagging knee injuries since his UFC 173 devastation of Dan Henderson. ‘DC’ supposedly has next to no ACL in one of his knee, but has opted for platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the injury rather than surgery.

Last week the champion confirmed that he would not go under the knife and is targeting October’s UFC 192 in Houston, Texas, for his return to action against Gustafsson.