Daniel Cormier injured, out of UFC 206 main event vs. Anthony Johnson

UFC 206 just lost its main event, as light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has been forced to withdraw from his rematch vs. Anthony Johnson.

The UFC’s penultimate pay-per-view of 2016 needs a new main event. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed on Friday that reigning light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (18-1) is out of his December 10th rematch vs. Anthony Johnson. According to the report, the plan is to keep Johnson on the card, but nothing else beyond that is known.

There are no details on Cormier’s injury, but this means that he’ll have gone the whole of 2016 without defending his UFC title. He previously pulled out of his UFC 197 rematch vs. Jon Jones with injury, then Jon Jones failed his USADA drug test the week of UFC 200, which led to Cormier fighting (and defeating) Anderson Silva in a three-round, non-title affair.

UFC 206 also recently lost Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy earlier this week, after the Ontario Athletic Commission opted not to license him due to a medical issue, which had previously kept him off of this month’s UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden. The search is currently underway for a replacement opponent to fight Kennedy.

The other feature bouts on UFC 206, which takes place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, include a co-main event between featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis, another featherweight matchup between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi, and a welterweight scrap between Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown.

UFC 206 just lost its main event, as light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has been forced to withdraw from his rematch vs. Anthony Johnson.

The UFC’s penultimate pay-per-view of 2016 needs a new main event. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed on Friday that reigning light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier (18-1) is out of his December 10th rematch vs. Anthony Johnson. According to the report, the plan is to keep Johnson on the card, but nothing else beyond that is known.

There are no details on Cormier’s injury, but this means that he’ll have gone the whole of 2016 without defending his UFC title. He previously pulled out of his UFC 197 rematch vs. Jon Jones with injury, then Jon Jones failed his USADA drug test the week of UFC 200, which led to Cormier fighting (and defeating) Anderson Silva in a three-round, non-title affair.

UFC 206 also recently lost Rashad Evans vs. Tim Kennedy earlier this week, after the Ontario Athletic Commission opted not to license him due to a medical issue, which had previously kept him off of this month’s UFC 205 card at Madison Square Garden. The search is currently underway for a replacement opponent to fight Kennedy.

The other feature bouts on UFC 206, which takes place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada, include a co-main event between featherweight contenders Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis, another featherweight matchup between Cub Swanson and Doo Ho Choi, and a welterweight scrap between Donald Cerrone and Matt Brown.