Report: Daniel Cormier May Have Accepted Heavyweight Fight For UFC 200

Disaster struck the UFC 200 fight card set to go down this Saturday July 9, and it was interim light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones causing all the ruckus. It was announced by Jeff Novitsky, the drug testing tsar of the UFC USADA (United States Anti Doping Agency) programme, that ‘Bones’ had been flagged for a potential violation. In other words, he got popped during an out of competition test dated June 16 of this year.

The consequential removal of Jones from the unification main event rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 200 has cast a dark shadow over the blockbuster pay-per-view in Las Vegas. ‘Bones’ is once again on the wrong side of authorities after only just returning at UFC 197 following his New Mexico hit-and-run circus. Now, on the eve of the biggest fight of his life and bang smack in the middle of the most eventful UFC fight week of all time, the incredibly talented Jon Jones has once again dropped the ball.

At this stage there’s little left for the promotion to do aside from pick up the pieces. Pushing Mark Hunt vs. Brock Lesnar up to the main event was a start, but replacing Jones is both a highly difficult and time sensitive task, but essential to salvage some of the integrity lost. With Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Gegard Mousasi and others offering to step in, MMA journalist and FOX analyst Karyn Bryant posted a very intriguing Tweet late last night.

… but I’m hearing whispers that @dc_mma took a HW fight… #UFC200 #UFC

— Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) 7 July 2016

Furthering this trail of thought FOX Sports reported that Cormier himself said he’s willing to beef up to 230 pounds, or thereabouts, for a possible heavyweight replacement:

Daniel Cormier says he’s even willing to go up to like 220 or 225 to fight at #UFC200

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) 7 July 2016

We’ll keep you in the loop on this and all other hot topics in this stacked UFC fight week, so stay tuned!