(And here we have Daniel Cormier tossing around a grown man like a child.)
Due to a meniscus tear suffered in training this week, UFC light-heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson has pulled out of his title rematch with Jon Jones, which was scheduled to headline UFC 178 (September 27th, Las Vegas). The UFC confirmed the bad news this evening, but luckily the promotion has a replacement already loaded up — and it’s the fight that Jones wanted all along.
Coming in to replace Gustafsson will be undefeated ex-heavyweight Daniel Cormier, who most recently choked out Dan Henderson in May during his second appearance at 205 pounds, then took the mic and executed one of the greatest call-outs since Luther clinked his bottles together in The Warriors. I mean, really, it was badass. Just watch it:
Cormier was slated to undergo knee surgery this month to repair an LCL injury that he suffered in the Henderson fight, but he’s decided to delay it, and claims that he’s “good to go.” As for Jones, he’s coming off his dominant decision win against Glover Teixeira at UFC 172 in April, and has been hard at work perfecting his new heel persona.
Not all fans are psyched about the UFC 178 main event change, but personally, I’m kind of digging it. Even though Jones vs. Gustafsson 1 was an incredible fight, it’ll be great to see Bones get a brand-new challenge, against a contender with a ton of momentum. Is this the first time that Jon Jones will face an opponent whose wrestling ability is at least equal to his own?
By the way, UFC.com says that the Jones/Gustafsson rematch has been “postponed” — ah, that word again — which I guess means that Jones will still fight Gustafsson next if he loses to Cormier, although it kind of sounds like whoever wrote the article is just assuming that Jones will win. Speaking of which…
Adorable.