Dana White explains why Anthony Johnson turned down Jon Jones fight

After Daniel Cormier was forced out of his UFC 197 light heavyweight title defense against Jon Jones on April 23rd due to a knee injury, many expected Anthony Johnson to step-in on short notice to fight Jones.

While the UFC tried to book Jones vs. Johnson for the main event of UFC 197, he was unable to accept the bout due to the fact that he was forced to undergo mouth surgery recently.

UFC President Dana White announced on SportsCenter that Jones will now face Ovince Saint Preux for the interim UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 197. During his appearance on SportsCenter, White elaborated on Johnson’s mouth surgery, revealing that the light heavyweight standout will be unable to wear a mouthpiece for several weeks due to the procedure.

UFC called Anthony Johnson. He just had a dental procedure. Can't put a mouthpiece in.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 2, 2016