Jon Jones reacts to Daniel Cormier's injury, takes high road with message to UFC champ

Jon Jones has addressed news of UFC 197’s main-event cancellation, and he took the high road when referencing would-be opponent and current light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.

As reported Friday, Cormier (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) was forced out of next month’s UFC 197 pay-per-view headliner with ex-champ Jones (21-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC) due to an injury. “Bones” won the duo’s first meeting in early 2015, but when Jones was stripped of the belt following an arrest later in the year, Cormier claimed the vacant title.

The bitter rivals were slated to rematch at UFC 197 – after a year of public bickering and Jones’ latest brush with the law. And though UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement about UFC 197, which takes place April 23 in Las Vegas, Jones addressed the scrapped bout and wished his rival a “healthy recovery” but also telling him to “enjoy that belt,” via Twitter:

Currently, it’s not clear if Jones will remain on the card against a replacement opponent, or if the bout could be rescheduled, perhaps at July’s big UFC 200 event.

For more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.