Jon Jones will defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson at UFC 187 in Las Vegas, according to an announcement from officials on Wednesday.
The Jones-Johnson fight will be the card’s headlining bout for the annual Memorial Day card.
Jones (21-1) is nearly perfect in his fighting career, having successfully defended his 205-pound title eight times since winning it in 2011. Jones, however, has made more news of late after testing positive for traces of cocaine in an out-of-competition drug test ahead of his recent win over Daniel Cormier at UFC 182.
Johnson (19-4) has been on a tear, winning nine in a row, three of which came since returning to the UFC in 2014. Legal troubles have also followed the top contender of late, as allegations of domestic abuse circulated in 2014.
In addition to Jones-Johnson, a bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort for the UFC middleweight title was revealed as the co-main event for the card. Joining them will be a lightweight tilt between Donald Cerrone and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
UFC 187 is planned to take place May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
