The UFC didn't have its most exciting card at UFC 197 as the two main events really didn't live up to the hype. Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson made easy work of Henry Cejudo in the co-main event while Jon Jones struggled through a unanimous decision victory over Ovince Saint Preux.
With that in mind and the whole retirement situation with Conor McGregor, the UFC didn't want its 200th pay-per-view to lose its luster too. McGregor was initially supposed to headline UFC 200 with a rematch against Nate Diaz but was pulled for failing to promote the fight. With McGregor out of the event, Diaz pulled out also, and that left the UFC searching for a new main event.
The UFC had several options for the main event but one stuck out like a sore thumb, and that was a rematch between Jones and Daniel Cormier. The UFC officially announced on Wednesday morning that a light heavyweight title fight between Jones and Cormier would in fact be the headliner for UFC 200.
This decision was a no brainer for the UFC considering the biggest draw in the sport (McGregor) is no longer on the card. Jones vs. Cormier is the best rivalry going in all of MMA right now, and Jon Jones is quite a draw himself so this fight will certainly draw plenty of attention. The last time these two fought Jones was the champion, and he defended it with a unanimous decision victory over Cormier in a fight he mostly dominated.
This fight will be different, though, as Cormier comes in as the champion, and there are some who think he will win. Jones came back from a 15-month absence to fight Saint Preux at UFC 197, and he looked very rusty. Jones still dominated the fight and won, but afterwards Cormier said if Jones fights like that there is no way he will beat him again.
Since saying that on Saturday, Cormier has doubled down and even taken it a step further. The light heavyweight champion posted a photo on Instagram of a poster promoting his fight with Jones, and he captioned it saying, "After what I saw last weekend. This will be light work. #bumjones #andstill".
Not only does Cormier think he will win the fight, but he also claims he will do so very easily. We know these two fighters don't like each other very much, and the trash talking has likely only just begun, but Cormier better be careful not to poke a sleeping giant. Jones knocked the rust off in his last fight and now should be ready for top-notch competition. Jones is still in his prime and is one of the best fighters in MMA history. Heck, Cormier has even said in the past that he thinks Jones is the greatest fighter ever and that he doesn't know how to beat him, so he may be a bit overconfident at the moment. Either way this should be a great one at UFC 200 in July.
