It is now official. Daniel Cormier will defend his UFC light heavyweight title for the second time against his long time rival, and former champion, Jon Jones. The match-up is set for UFC 197, which takes place on April 23rd at a yet to be determined venue.
“Bones” will be returning from a 14-month hiatus after being suspended by the UFC following his arrest for a felony, stemming from a hit-and-run incident Jones was involved in on April 26th of last year. The former 205 pound champion last appeared in the octagon against the same man he will be facing in his return. The bout will be a rematch of their January 2015 scrap, which Jones won by unanimous decision.
While Jones was away from the sport, Cormier laid claim to the division defeating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in a fight for the vacated title. He followed that up with an epic five round split-decision win of Alexander Gustafsson. “DC” has long pined for a second go around with Jones. Before the Gustafsson fight he expounded on his need for a rematch when he said:
“I need that guy to get back in here and fight me again. For my journey to be complete and for me to be complete as I finish this sport, I need him. And honestly, I wish him all the best so that he can actually get back and I can stop playing around with these guys and get back to business.”
The two were a part of the now infamous press conference scuffle in the lead up to their first battle. And have jabbed back and forth on Twitter for the better part of two years.
Though there was not a great deal of clamoring from fans and pundits for an immediate rematch, this bout will be as hotly anticipated as the original because neither the animosity between the two, nor the high status of either fighter in the sport, has diminished in that time.
