Those of us clamoring for the much anticipated rematch between Jon “Bones” Jones and Alexander Gustafsson will have to wait a little longer. UFC officials announced today that Gustafsson suffered a torn meniscus and will not be able to compete at UFC 178 in September.
Stepping up to fill the void is # 2 ranked Daniel Cormier, who boasts a perfect 15-0 record. Cormier is coming off arguably one of the biggest wins of his career with a third round submission against the always dangerous Dan Henderson at UFC 173 in May.
Luckily for Cormier, he opted to delay a surgery scheduled for earlier this month to repair lingering knee complications. Resulting in a shot at not only the most coveted prize in the Light heavyweight division, but also the UFC’s current pound-for-pound kingpin.
This makes for an interesting matchup with Jones (20-1), who will have to tweak to his training camp to prepare for Cormier’s Olympic caliber wrestling skills, instead of Gustafsson’s unorthodox striking attack.
“Bones” has defeated all comers for his title, his only career loss coming by way of a controversial DQ against Matt Hamil. Jone’s most recent defense was at UFC 173, when he outclassed Glover Tiexeira in a five round affair.
After being called out on several occasions by Cormier over the past year, Jones will finally have a chance to respond to Cormier’s numerous criticisms. While Cormier will have a chance to prove that he’s not only ready, but willing and able to stand toe to toe with the best in the world.
UFC 178 takes place on September 27th, and will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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