DC out of UFC 197; OSP Steps in for Interim Belt

Jon Jones (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

It’s April 3rd and yes, it’s still true.

After an April Fool’s Day filled with false fight announcements (although I did enjoy Rousey vs. McGregor, but BJ vs GSP 3? c’mon), social media went into heavy panic mode late Friday night when word spread that light heavyweight champion Daniel “DC” Cormier was out of his highly anticipated title defense against former champion and bitter rival Jon Jones due to a foot injury. And it wasn’t a joke.

Saturday morning Jones posted a video to his Instagram letting the UFC and fight fans know he was willing to fight anyone to save the main event at UFC 197, not ruling out the possibility of a heavyweight opponent either.

While rumors swirled for the great part of Saturday that Jones’ opponent would be #2 LHW contender Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, rumors were put to rest after UFC President Dana White appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter to announce the new main event, Jon Jones vs #6 ranked Ovince Saint Preux for the interim light-heavy weight belt.

DC took to his Instagram as well Saturday to address the unfortunate withdrawal from his second title defense since winning the vacant title last May.

“The decision to not fight on April 23rd was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. I’ve been scheduled to fight 18 times and I have made that walk every time. I want to apologize to Jon Jones, Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and all of the UFC fans for not being able to defend my title. This truly saddens me, but as with everything else in life, it goes on. The recovery should not take very long and I can’t wait to compete and defend my title again. For all the fans, thanks for your support, I appreciate each and every one of you.”

Is the UFC making the right decision putting another interim title up for grabs? Or is this a desperate attempt to save the interest in UFC 197?