The UFC light heavyweight title scene just got a little more interesting.
On Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight (h/t Dave Doyle and Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com), it was announced that the winner of Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier will ultimately get a shot at the 205-pound crown.
Henderson and Cormier are expected to throw down at UFC 175, which features a middleweight title clash between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida.
But lets not get ahead of ourselves. First, Jon Jones will attempt to defend his light heavyweight title for an impressive seventh time as he takes on the more than dangerous Glover Teixeira later this month at UFC 172.
Teixeira may in fact be the toughest test thus far in Jones’ illustrious and highly productive career, so their long-awaited championship bout is most certainly up for grabs.
After that, Alexander Gustafsson will rightfully get the next shot at the belt. The towering Swede went toe-to-toe with Jones back in September at UFC 165, but didn’t earn the decision after putting on one of the gutsiest performances of all time.
He’ll pose a threat to either Jones or Teixeira, as he rides the momentum of his recent second-round finish of hard-nosed Jimi Manuwa back in early March.
Once those title implications and potentially the greatest rematch in UFC history hashes itself out, Henderson or Cormier will be next in line.
For Henderson, a 43-year-old journeyman who many consider the greatest fighter of all time to never hold a UFC title, he will look to regain his divisional footing after mustering a monstrous comeback finish over Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last month in Natal, Brazil.
For Cormier, an undefeated Olympic wrestler hellbent on proving he deserves to fight the best, he’ll attempt to feed off of Henderson’s name and resume in order to not only create buzz amongst fans, but earn a shot at the light heavyweight title by shutting down one of the best of all time.
Now while it may seem crazy to give “Hendo” such an opportunity after dropping three of his last four Octagon appearances, he’s still one of the biggest names in the sport, and the UFC would be downright foolish to not push his remaining potential.
In any case, this is huge news for both men. Cormier has been waiting for this opportunity and will most likely be the best “DC” we’ve ever seen.
But when it really comes down to it, can you ever underestimate the “H-Bomb?”
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