It's official Daniel Cormier will defend the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Jon Jones at UFC 197 on April 23 in Las Vegas. The highly anticipated fight was confirmed by Jon Anik during the broadcast of UFC Fight Night 82, on Saturday, February 6, setting a date and location for a fight that had been rumored since Jones' return to UFC.
Although UFC 197 was originally expected to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York, professional MMA is still not legalized in that state, despite the open support of Governor Andrew Cuomo. Ironically, amateur MMA is legal in New York, despite being more dangerous, as it does not have the approval of the athletic commission.
Thus, UFC 197 will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The title fight will be the main event.
The co-main event will feature the current UFC Flyweight Champion, Demetrious Johnson (23-2-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC), looking for his eighth title defense against undefeated Henry Cejudo (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC).
Johnson has been unbeatable since moving to the flyweight division in 2012, while Cejudo presents an interesting challenge as one of the few men to remain undefeated in his MMA career.
Jones defeated Cormier by unanimous decision in their first fight, at UFC 182, but was stripped of his title and suspended by UFC after fleeing the scene of an accident in Albuquerque in April 2015.