The vaunted UFC 200 main event is in the hands of a physician.
Daniel Cormier, the UFC light heavyweight champion, said after the UFC 197 pay-per-view Saturday night that he wants to fight Jon Jones at UFC 200 and just needs clearance from a doctor to do it. Cormier said he'll see his doctor Monday and if he's good to go, that is the fight and the date -- July 9 in Las Vegas -- that he wants.
"I'm going to see the doctor Monday, and if they say Daniel Cormier is OK to compete in 11 weeks at UFC 200, I'll be there," Cormier said at the close of the show as a message to Jones. "I'll be there with my championship belt, with my red wraps on my glove as I come out second and you wait for me to walk to the Octagon. We meet here live from the T-Mobile Arena, the brand new arena out here in Las Vegas, and we unify these titles."
Jones defeated Ovince Saint Preux in the main event of UFC 197 at MGM Grand on Saturday night to win the interim title. That was supposed to be Cormier opposite Jones, his longtime rival, but "DC" got hurt three weeks ago and Saint Preux stepped in.
Jones and Cormier have a messy history. The two got into a brawl during a press event a couple of years ago. They fought in January 2015 and Jones won by unanimous decision. The back and forth didn't end there and Cormier won the belt against Anthony Johnson last year when Jones was stripped due to a felony hit-and-run arrest.
The UFC is currently looking for a new main event for UFC 200, which is set to be the biggest event in its history. Conor McGregor was yanked from the card this week when he refused to travel to Las Vegas for promotional obligations.
Another grudge match between Jones and Cormier would go a long way into alleviating the loss of the brash Irishman. Jones attempting to win the title he never lost in the Octagon against his most hated rival would make for excellent theater. And that is not lost on Cormier.
"Don't bring that interim belt, Cormier said. "You leave that at home. That's garbage. That's a play belt. They got that thing from the kiosk upstairs before they gave that to you in the middle of the Octagon. Leave that thing at home, Jon. Come chase this real title, and get beat, and I'll ship you back to Albuquerque."