Poll: Will Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier Actually Happen At UFC 200?
Earlier today (Wed., April 27, 2016) the UFC confirmed that interim light heavyweight champion Jon Jones would take on arch rival champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 9’s blockbuster UFC 200 during a MMA-themed segment of “Good Morning America.”
The booking of the impromptu main event, which was a necessity when Conor McGregor was unceremoniously removed from his rematch with Nate Diaz after refusing to make the promotional rounds, hardly came as a surprise, as it was leaked when a photo of the main event poster surfaced online.
While it’s no doubt a serviceable, if not spectacular, headlining bout for the stacked spectacular from Las Vegas’ all-new T-Mobile Arena, yet the awaited rematch, which has been predicted to take place ever since Jones outlasted Cormier by decision at UFC 182 last year, is far from guaranteed to happen.
After all, Jones just returned to defeat Ovince Saint Preux in a somewhat lackluster return bout at last weekend’s (April 23, 2016) UFC 197 following a yearlong battle with legal trouble, which he’s far from out of the woods with after violating his probation. That obviously adds a ton of uncertainty, and Cormier’s leg injury that forced him out of UFC 197 is another concern that has apparently been alleviated (at least for now).
Add that to the potential six-month medical suspension that Jones received for an injured foot in his win over Saint Preux (which the UFC is clearly banking he’ll be healed from by July), and you have a bout wrought with uncertainty with two-and-a-half months still ticking down.
What do you think? Will Jones vs. Cormier actually happen at UFC 200?