‘Rumble’ wishes ‘nothing but the best’ for Cormier following removal from UFC 206

Earlier today, it was announced that the highly anticipated championship rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson was scrapped due to an undisclosed injury from ‘DC’.

Both men were set to collide at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto for UFC 206’s main event, but reigning light heavyweight champion Cormier was forced to withdraw just two weeks out from the pay-per-view.

Johnson, who is riding a three-fight win streak with two devastating first round stoppages, took the news surprisingly well and wished Cormier all the best.

Cormier responded, and respectfully apologized for the last minute withdrawal.

Both men fought for the the vacant light heavyweight championship last year at UFC 187, which saw AKA’s Cormier rally through adversity -- the former Olympian was rocked several times by Johnson early on -- to snag a rear-naked choke in the third round.

Since Rumble’s loss, the ex-welterweight contender has beat Jimi Manuwa, Ryan Bader and Glover Texeira, and has developed a reputation as one of the most feared knock out artists in the sport.

Cormier has yet to defend the belt in 2016, as longtime rival Jon Jones was removed from their bout at UFC 200 after testing positive for banned substances. The 37-year-old ended up fighting MMA legend Anderson Silva in a non-title fight, and beat the Brazilian in a relatively lacklustre decision.

The UFC are currently looking for a last-minute replacement for Johnson and hope to keep him in the main event.