Daniel Cormier will not be fighting Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante next after all.
Instead, Cormier (14-0) will face Dan Henderson (30-11) on July 5 at UFC 175, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The promotion is expected to announce the news in the coming days.
On last week’s episode of “UFC Tonight,” it was reported that Cormier vs. Cavalcante was being discussed for the event — and it was — however, the promotion decided to offer Henderson the Cormier fight following his thrilling comeback win over Shogun Rua on March 23. Had Henderson turned down the fight for whatever reason, the UFC most likely would have booked Cormier vs. Cavalcante.
The fight will pit two former Olympians. Cormier, a 2004 and 2008 member of the USA Wrestling Olympic team, improved to 14-0 in his light heavyweight debut last month when he defeated Patrick Cummins via first-round TKO.
The 43-year-old Henderson, a 1992 and 1996 member of the USA Wrestling Olympic team, snapped a three-fight losing streak when he defeated Rua last week.
UFC 175, headlined by Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida for the UFC middleweight title, will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.