As expected, Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson will collide in the co-main event of UFC 173, which takes place May 24, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV.
UFC President Dana White announced the news on Wednesday’s edition of SportsCenter, adding that the winner of the bout will receive a light heavyweight title shot after Alexander Gustafsson.
A match-up between Cormier (14-0) and Henderson (30-11) was initially targeted for July 5 at UFC 175, however injuries to UFC 173’s pay-per-view ultimately led to the switch.
Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler and Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion, is undefeated thus far in his professional career, earning notable victories over Josh Barnett, Antonio Silva, Frank Mir and Roy Nelson. He made the successful transition down to light heavyweight in his most recent appearance, a one-round rout over Patrick Cummins at UFC 170.
Henderson, meanwhile, looks for a quick turnaround after snapping his three-fight losing streak in late-March. The 43-year-old was nearly finished by Mauricio Rua twice at UFC Fight Night 38, yet still managed to weather the storm and seize a third-round knockout victory.
UFC 173 will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. An updated fight card can be seen below.
Main Card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Renan Barao vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson
Robbie Lawler vs. Jake Ellenberger
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Francisco Rivera
Jamie Varner vs. James Krause
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
Michael Chiesa vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Tony Ferguson vs. Katsunori Kikuno
Chris Holdsworth vs. Chico Camus
Al Iaquinta vs. Mitch Clarke
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET)
Anthony Njokuani vs. Vinc Pichel
Sam Sicilia vs. Doo Ho Choi
Jingliang Li vs. Danny Mitchell