Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is out of his scheduled UFC 187 title fight against Anthony Johnson. Sources confirmed the development to MMAWeekly.com on Sunday.
Unconfirmed reports swirled on Sunday afternoon alleging that Jones was involved in a hit and run accident in Albuquerque on Saturday evening, although MMAWeekly was not able to confirm those reports.
The 27-year-old titleholder made headlines in January for failing an out-of-competition drug test for cocaine prior to his UFC 182 title fight against Daniel Cormier. He was fined $25,000 on January 17 for violating the UFC’s Athlete Code of Conduct policy stemming from the positive test result.
Jones holds the record for being the youngest fighter to win a UFC championship at the age of 23. He’s widely regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and holds the record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC light heavyweight history with eight.
UFC 187 takes place on May 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Jones was scheduled to headline the event.
