Daniel Cormier Withdraws From UFC 206 Main Event Fight

Poor Daniel Cormier. A few months after Jon Jones was forced out of his UFC 200 rematch against Cormier for a positive drug test, Cormier will now have to miss his light heavyweight title defense against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 with an injury. MMAFighting first reported the news and ESPN later confirmed.

Rumble wished Cormier a swift recovery shortly after the news broke.

ESPN reports that Cormier’s injury will require surgery and keep him out for up to six weeks. This is now the second scheduled UFC 206 fight that’s been scrapped (not counting the failed negotiations to get Georges St. Pierre to fight), after the Ontario Athletic Commission refused to license Rashad Evans before his fight with Tim Kennedy. Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting reports that the UFC wants to book Kelvin Gastelum to fight Kennedy, and it’s unclear if Kennedy will remain on the card.