UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier admitted to being "very sad" and "very disappointed" by the news that Jon Jones has been pulled from their title fight at UFC 200 because of a potential anti-doping violation.
The pair's unification fight—Jones is the current interim champion in the light heavyweight division—was set to headline Saturday's huge event in Las Vegas but has now been replaced by the heavyweight clash between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt, per Sky Sports' Allan Valente.
A visibly devastated Cormier, 37, said it would take him some time to get over the disappointment of the fight being cancelled but added he would be "ready to go" when he gets the chance to fight again, per BT Sport UFC:
An emotional @dc_mma faces the media, moments after being told his #UFC200 headline fight vs @JonnyBones is off. https://t.co/4gsV2rBJzh
— #UFC200 (@btsportufc) July 7, 2016
The UFC's Thomas Gerbasi relayed some of Cormier's quotes:
I had a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. To hear something like this is very sad from a competitive and financial standpoint. I don't know exactly to explain how I'm feeling right now.
I'm just very disappointed. I've worked really hard to prepare for this. You take care of what you can take care of and that's what I did. More than anything, I'm really disappointed.
Per Valente, Jones' violation relates to a positive sample for a banned substance taken by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) in an out-of-competition test on June 16.
The 28-year-old had to be removed from the card as there is not enough time to do a full review of Jones' case before UFC 200.
There is also barely any time to bring in a replacement opponent for Cormier, but the American said he would fight if he could, per Gerbasi:
"I've trained hard and long. And if anyone would fight, I'd fight. But if it doesn't make sense for the organisation or for me, then it doesn't make sense. So I really don’t know what's next. It's very difficult to ask someone to come into this situation."
Per MMA writer Ariel Helwani, Dutchman Gegard Mousasi has offered to step in:
Gegard Mousasi has offered to fight at 205 pounds against Daniel Cormier and is willing to fight 5 rounds. No decision either way yet on DC.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 7, 2016
The Associated Press (via the Guardian) relayed UFC president Dana White's comments following the news of Jones' potential violation: "He's got the chance to prove himself innocent before being called guilty. But if it's true, obviously super disappointing."
White also acknowledged that Jones, one of the UFC's biggest stars, could face a long suspension if he is proven to have taken a banned substance.
While he has never tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs, Jones has a chequered history outside the Octagon.
He tested positive for traces of cocaine before his first meeting with Cormier, which he won, in January 2015, and was stripped of his title and handed a lengthy ban soon after being charged in a hit-and-run accident, per ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
He returned from suspension back in October 2015 and beat Ovince Saint Preux in April in a bout that was supposed to be his rematch with Cormier, but a foot injury forced Cormier to withdraw, per AP's report.
Their second clash has now been pushed back again, and there is a distinct possibility that they may never meet in the Octagon for a rematch.
