The shoe dropped Tuesday night with UFC officials not only handing Jon Jones and indefinite suspension, but also stripping him of the light heavyweight championship.
With Jones without a belt and out of the UFC 187 main event, company president Dana White announced that his original opponent, Anthony Johnson, would instead fight Daniel Cormier. The two 205-pound contenders will battle for the belt that Jones is being forced to relinquish following his involvement in a hit-and-run car accident in Albuquerque, N.M. on Sunday. Jones has been charged with a felony count of Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Bodily Harm or Death.
RELATED > Jon Jones Stripped of UFC Title, Suspended Indefinitely
Cormier had been slated to fight Ryan Bader in the UFC Fight Night 68 main event on June 6 in New Orleans.
With the former Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner now fighting for the light heavyweight belt at UFC 187, the New Orleans event has a gaping hole at the top of the fight card.
As of the time of the Jon Jones suspension announcement, the UFC was not ready to fill the hole.
A UFC official told MMAWeekly.com on Tuesday night, “No decision has been made at this time regarding a new main event for the June 6 card in New Orleans.”
Of course, all of the attention is currently on the Jones situation, but MMAWeekly.com will keep you posted as information becomes available about the new UFC Fight Night 68 main event.
