The main event for UFC 200 has changed. It will now be Brock Lesnar fighting Mark Hunt. The previous main event was supposed to be a title unification bout between Daniel Cormier versus Jon “Bones” Jones, but Jones has been pulled due to an doping violation. Jones, the interim light heavyweight champion was found to have tested positive for a banned substance in an out-of-competition test on June 16th from the USADA, the governing body of UFC substance policy.
UFC president, Dana White, announced the decision in Las Vegas yesterday at a necessary, unexpected, press conference in the MGM Grand. Michael Bisping, the middleweight fighter, has already expressed interest in fighting Cormier at UFC 200, but White has not yet said whether or not this was actually happening.
For Jones, this is just another instance of a long string of controversy throughout his career. From DUI’s to cocaine use and hit-n-runs, this just is another black eye for the famed fighters career. Yet, he continues to draw eyes on the sport, and his rematch against Cormier, who have had an unsanctioned brawl in the past, was thought to be one of the best rematches in recent years.
As for the UFC, this is a complete and utter disaster. For the promotions 200th PPV, none of their perceived top stars will not fighting. Ronda Rousey has not fought since losing her title to Holly Holm in November 2015. Conor McGregor, who last fought Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in March, is not on the card due to a disagreement between McGregor and White over promotional interviews. Now, White will be without Rousey, McGregor and Jones, and will have a main event that features a man who has not fought professionally in 5 years, and spends most of his time doing professional wrestling, instead of legitimate ground and pound. That said, Brock Lesnar could eat me if he wanted, so I’m still all in for this card. Just seems that UFC is leaving a lot of money on the table for an event of such magnitude.
