Jon Jones will have a chance to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title in a showdown against current titleholder Daniel Cormier at UFC 200, according to President Dana White.
The UFC figurehead was asked about the prospect of a rematch between Jones and Cormier after the former defeated Ovince Saint Preux via unanimous decision at UFC 197 on Saturday to claim the interim title, per ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto:
Dana White tells me if Jon Jones is healthy and Daniel Cormier is cleared on an MRI on Monday, they will headline 200.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 24, 2016
According to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, Jones also pushed home the point that he'd be ready to clash at UFC 200 on July 9, having just sat out for 15 months in between fights because of a suspension:
Jones says he would absolutely be ready to fight at 200.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 24, 2016
Bones defeated Cormier at UFC 182 by unanimous decision—at the time, his eighth successive defence of the light heavyweight crown—but the UFC later stripped him of the title and suspended him after his infamous hit-and-run incident.
Cormier and Jones were set to face off at UFC 197 before the former suffered a foot injury that ruled him out. Not only did White say the rematch was a possibility for UFC 200, but Cormier also took to the microphone and baited Jones into staging a second fight in July as long as he's cleared to compete, per UFC Europe:
Daniel Cormier has a message for @JonnyBones and #UFC200 https://t.co/aHTv8lQT5k
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) April 24, 2016
UFC 200 has a headline slot open after Conor McGregor was pulled from his main event fight against Nate Diaz for failing to fulfil his promotional duties, per BBC Sport.
By the time July comes, it will have been 18 months since Jones and Cormier last met in the Octagon, but the rivalry nevertheless runs deep between the two, as Bones illustrated in the wake of Saturday's triumph over OSP:
Jon Jones celebrated his win by giving Daniel Cormier the finger on his way out (NSFW) https://t.co/RknfQNfb7b pic.twitter.com/Uur6GZz2Mn
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) April 24, 2016
Thankfully for White, Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo were already scheduled to fight for the interim featherweight title at UFC 200 on a card that does have big attractions outside the pulled headline event.
With that being said, a rematch between Jones and Cormier would help reignite interest in a summer card that lost a lot of its lustre after McGregor's antics took him off the card.
White also emphasised that it looked as though Jones needed a warm-up clash before moving back into title contention, per Fox Sports:
Dana White: Jon Jones looked rusty tonight. It was a really good thing it was OSP tonight and not Cormier. #UFC197
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) April 24, 2016
Jones may have expected to make lighter work of Saint Preux upon making his return to the Octagon, but it already looks as though he'll get a chance to reclaim his title belt sooner than expected.
The stars appear to be aligning for Bones to get his shot at Cormier in just three months' time, with both fighters and the UFC ready to get the rematch collision under way.
