It looks like Jon Jones won’t be taking a tune-up fight.
It was made clear that Daniel Cormier would defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title at UFC 214. What we didn’t know was if Jones or Jimi Manuwa would be facing him on July 29. The bout was there for the taking for Jones, but he also toyed around with the idea of a tune-up fight.
That’s no longer the case. Multiple sources have informed MMAFighting.com that Cormier vs. Jones 2 is close to being finalized. If the bout comes to fruition, the two will meet inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
Back in Jan. 2015, Jones successfully defended the UFC light heavyweight title against Cormier by unanimous decision. Legal troubles saw Jones be stripped of his championship and Cormier would win the vacant title against Anthony Johnson in May 2015.
Cormier and Jones were supposed to meet in a championship rematch at UFC 200, but “Bones” failed a drug test and was removed from the card. Cormier ended up defeating Anderson Silva by unanimous decision at the event.
This will be Cormier’s third title defense. Injuries and the situation at UFC 200 have prevented Cormier from being as active as one would expect.
