Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will defend his title in a rematch against number one contender Anthony "Rumble" Johnson at UFC 210 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York on Saturday (8 April).

Where to watch live

The main card event starts at 3am BST (Sunday in the UK). Live coverage is on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD with live streaming available on BTSport.com.

Overview

Their first meeting was for the vacant light heavyweight title in a bout that saw "Rumble" get thoroughly outclassed by Cormier's wrestling and grappling, with the latter getting the win via third round submission.

This time, however, Johnson (22-5 record in MMA) is determined to win. Since his loss to Cormier, the 33-year-old has gone on a three-fight winning streak, displaying his brutal knockout power as he has only fought for a little over seven minutes combined in those bouts.

A win over Cormier would not only bring him UFC gold for the first time in his career, but also potentially earn him a dream fight with Jon Jones, with the youngest UFC champion of all time expected to be in attendance at the event.

Cormier Johnson
Cormier and Johnson at the UFC 210 weigh-ins Getty

As for Cormier (18-1 record in MMA), he is confident of repeating his game plan from two years ago and inflicting even more damage on "Rumble." The 38-year-old is one of the few fighters to have survived a right hand from Johnson and should head into the fight with a lot of confidence given how he performed in their first fight.

Since defeating Johnson at UFC 187, "DC" has only defended his belt once against Alexander Gustafsson while he also defeated Anderson Silva via decision in a non-title fight after Jones pulled out of their rematch at UFC 200.

Cormier could even be seen as looking past Johnson as he is targeting not one but two fights with Jones, who inflicted the Olympian's only defeat in his MMA career.

No matter who wins, it seems all but confirmed that Jones will challenge the winner.

Prediction

Daniel Cormier to win via decision.

What they say:

Daniel Cormier: "The first round is his only chance. If he doesn't finish me, he will lose. Anthony Johnson has to knock me out in the first round. If this fight goes past the first round then he's done. I have too many avenues to victory. I can submit this guy. I can TKO this guy. Because in the second round [of the first fight] and there was 30 more seconds, the fight would have been done. I would have just battered him on the ground until the referee jumped in to stop it," via Fox Sports.

Anthony Johnson: "Everyone knows if he gets hit or even if he doesn't get hit, he'll go in for the takedown. That's kind of what he'll do. He's a wrestler. That's where his heart is and that's just the truth. He's not the most exciting fighter, but what he does gets the job done. DC can say whatever he wants to say. That s*** don't bother me," via Fox Sports.

Betting odds (Betfair)

  • Daniel Cormier to win: 11/10
  • Anthony Johnson to win: 8/11

Main Card Event

  • Light heavyweight championship: Daniel Cormier (C) vs Anthony Johnson
  • Middleweight: Chris Weidman vs Gegard Mousasi
  • Women's strawweight: Cynthia Calvillo vs Pearl Gonzalez
  • Welterweight: Thiago Alves vs Patrick Côté
  • Lightweight: Will Brooks vs Charles Oliveira
UFC