Sorry for all you folks headed to "Sin City" over Fourth of July Weekend, but it seems this one couldn't wait.
Dan Henderson vs. Daniel Cormier light heavyweight tilt is now official for the UFC 173 Memorial Day Weekend pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, which is set to go down inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 24, 2014, according to UFC President Dana White.
The promotion's head cheese made the announcement earlier today on ESPN's SportsCenter, noting that the winner could be next in line (behind Alexander Gustafsson) for a division title shot. Unless, of course, Glover Teixeira is able to upset Jon Jones at UFC 172 this Saturday night (April 26) in Baltimore.
Then all bets are off.
Henderson (30-11) was able to snap a three-fight losing streak by decapitating Mauricio Rua in the main event of UFC Fight Night 38 last month in Brazil. "Hendo," who held world titles in PRIDE FC and Strikeforce, will try to reclaim his spot as top contender (something he lost in 2012) against his fellow Olympian.
Pretty tall order.
Cormier (14-0) barely broke a sweat in his 205-pound debut, beating the beans out of bad-mouthing barista Patrick Cummins, who filled in for the injured Rashad Evans at UFC 170. Prior to his "Durkin" destruction, "DC" ran the table at heavyweight, notching wins against Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, among others.
Who ya' got?
UFC 173: "Barao vs. Dillashaw" will feature a re-worked main event that pits reigning bantamweight champion Renan Barao opposite 135-pound upstart TJ Dillashaw, after a last-minute surgery forced the original headliner to be postponed until July.
Elsewhere on the card, Robbie Lawler will bang it out with Jake Ellenberger for the right to stay alive in the 170-pound title chase, while Francisco Rivera and Takeya Mizugaki hook 'em up in bantamweight action.
To check out the latest UFC 173: "Barao vs. Dillashaw" fight card and rumors click here.