Daniel Cormier Out At UFC 206, Leaves The Main Event In Jeopardy

Bad news for UFC fans and a tough break for the UFC. Daniel Cormier will not be able to participate in the UFC 206 main event where he was supposed to defend his light heavyweight title. Because Daniel Cormier cannot fight at UFC 206, it leaves the top portion of the card in jeopardy.

MMA Fighting is reporting that Daniel Cormier was forced out of his fight against Anthony Johnson, which was slated to be the main event at UFC 206. According to MMA Fighting, Cormier suffered from an undisclosed injury. Daniel Cormier will miss somewhere between four to six weeks. With UFC 206 scheduled for December 10, the UFC is now forced to scramble as they search for ways to fill the void in their fight card.

What the UFC can do is bump the co-main event of Anthony Pettis’ match against Max Holloway to main event status, but that is risky. Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson was the only title fight scheduled for the UFC 206 card. Not having a title bout set for a UFC pay-per-view card is a difficult sell to fans.

The $54.95 price tag for the high definition viewing of a UFC card is already tough to negotiate. Imagine that card without a title fight as a main event, or even without someone who has the draw of a top UFC star. The impact of Daniel Cormier’s injury is damaging and comes at a terrible time. Now the main event for UFC 206 is in jeopardy.

Options are not plentiful for the UFC. One of the things the UFC will look to do is keep Anthony Johnson on the card. Depending on who they can find to fill in as his opponent, leaving Johnson in the main event is not out of the question. That will be determined based on the opponent.

Hmmm….@danawhite

— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) November 25, 2016

If the UFC can peg a well-known fighter or someone who is ranked in the top 16 to take on Anthony Johnson, then the UFC can save face. Unfortunately, many of the names, such as Ryan Bader and Corey Anderson, who could become potential opponents for Johnson have either fought in the past two weeks or are scheduled to fight in three weeks.

One name that stands out as a possible opponent for Anthony Johnson is England’s Jimi Manuwa. Manuwa, who is 16-2, most recently fought in October at UFC 204. Prior to that, Manuwa’s last fight was ironically against Anthony Johnson at UFC 191. The 36-year-old lost to Johnson by knockout.

Twitter reacts to Daniel Cormier's injury, scrapping of UFC 206 main event vs. Anthony Johnson https://t.co/OzBR7sQ6AV

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) November 25, 2016

Manuwa is ranked No. 6 among all UFC light heavyweights according to Ranking MMA. The UFC could bill this fight as a revenge bout between two hard punchers.

Mauricio Rua is another option to replace Daniel Cormier and face Anthony Johnson at UFC 206. Rua’s most recent fight was at UFC 198, where he took a decision over the aforementioned Corey Anderson.

The most intriguing options for potential replacements to Daniel Cormier at UFC 206 are perhaps UFC veterans Rashad Evans and Anderson Silva. Unfortunately, Evans could not receive clearance by the Ontario Commission, according to MMAJunkie for his scheduled bout against Tim Kennedy. Kennedy is now calling out Anderson Silva to replace Evans, thus eliminating two options.

Either Evans or Silva would make sense for Johnson because of the name recognition both of them would bring to the UFC 206 card.

The last of the entertaining options includes former The Ultimate Fighter winner Andrew Sanchez. If Sanchez were not scheduled to fight on the night before UFC 206 and had enough time to train for Anthony Johnson, it would make sense.

Sanchez is not a pretty fighter to watch; he is a wrestler in the truest sense of the word. Wrestlers do not always make for pleasant viewing in the UFC, but Sanchez’s fighting style completely clashes with what Anthony Johnson does. It is a fight that could go over well with UFC fans.

Barring a change in the booking for two shows, Andrew Sanchez versus Anthony Johnson will not happen, but wrestler versus boxer has the makings of a potentially good fight.

Daniel Cormier getting injured puts the UFC in a bind and jeopardizes the main event of UFC 206, where he was supposed to defend the light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson. There are a few options available to replace Cormier, but it will force the UFC to be creative with their booking. We will soon find out what the UFC decides to do.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]