By all reports, this is not an April Fools joke.
An injury has forced Daniel Cormier, the UFC light heavyweight champion, to withdraw from the fight, MMAFighting.com has confirmed via multiple sources.
Cormier and Jon Jones were scheduled to headline UFC 197 on April 23 in Las Vegas. It’s unclear at this time whether Jones, who hasn’t fought since UFC 182 in Jan. 2015, will remain on the card or when Cormier will be able to return to action. Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo for the UFC flyweight title was the co-main event.
On Tuesday morning, Jones was arrested for violating his probation after receiving five traffic tickets last week. He was released from jail Thursday afternoon, and shortly thereafter the UFC announced that he would remain on the card. That was before the organization found out that Cormier would not be able to compete on the card.
The UFC has yet to officially the news.