Daniel Cormier removed himself from UFC 197 on Friday after suffering a leg injury that will require four to six weeks of recovery, per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com.
Continue for updates.
Cormier Recovery to Last Four to Six Weeks
Saturday, April 2
BJPenn.com, which initially broke the news Friday, noted the defending light heavyweight champion was reportedly seen having a difficult time walking at a recent wrestling event.
Okamoto provided further details on Cormier’s issue, which he described as a lower-leg injury (via ESPN):
Cormier (17-1) was in line to defend his title for the second time April 23 against Jon Jones. He apologized in an Instagram post outlining why he had to pull out:
The decision to not fight on April 23rd was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I’ve been scheduled to fight 18 times and I have made that walk every time. I want to apologize to Jon Jones, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and all of the UFC fans for not being able to defend my title. This truly saddens me, but as with everything else in life, it goes on. The recovery should not take very long and I can’t wait to compete and defend my title again. For all the fans, thanks for your support, I appreciate each and every one of you. DC
Despite their bitter rivalry, Jones wished Cormier the best in his recovery:
Less than 24 hours after Cormier pulled out, the UFC announced Ovince St. Preux will be his replacement for the event.
President Dana White said the fight will be for the interim light heavyweight title, per MMAFighting.com.
Based on the timeline Okamoto provided, it appears as though Cormier will be back quickly. However, Cormier has not disclosed a specific diagnosis on the injury yet. It’s encouraging to hear him relay that the injury isn’t significant, but his future fight schedule remains up in the air.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com