Anderson Silva to Replace Jon Jones at UFC 200

It didn’t take Dana White long to find a willing opponent for one of the most anticipated MMA cards of all time.

Earlier tonight on ESPN’s Sportscenter, UFC president Dana White announced that Anderson Silva will replace Jon Jones as Daniel Cormier’s opponent at UFC 200 this Saturday, July 9. Jones was pulled from the card last evening after testing positive for a banned substance. 

White had announced that Brock Lesnar’s match with Mark Hunt will now be the main event of the evening. There is currently no word on whether the new Silva vs. Cormier match will once again headline the show.

It should also be noted that the match between Silva and Cormier will be a non-title bout.

Silva is widely recognized as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. A former UFC Middleweight Champion, he holds the record for the most consecutive days as champion at 2,457. During that time, he amassed 16 consecutive wins, as well as 10 successful title defenses.

According to ESPN, Silva hasn’t fought since he suffered a decision loss to Michael Bisping in February of this year. He was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 198 in May, but was forced to pull out the week of the fight when he experienced abdominal pain.

You can find the full story regarding Cormier’s new opponent at this link.

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