Jon Jones will face Ovince Saint Preux for interim 205-pound title at UFC 197

Jon Jones will face Ovince Saint Preux on April 23 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas for the interim light heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 197, Dana White announced Saturday on SportsCenter.

Saint Preux replaces light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who on Friday had to pull out of the bout with what the UFC said in a news release is an injury to the interosseous membrane in his left leg.

White said he attempted to get Anthony "Rumble" Johnson as Cormier's replacement, but said Johnson recently had dental surgery and can't even put a mouthpiece in for three weeks.

Jones will be fighting for the first time since he routed Cormier in a light heavyweight title defense in the main event of UFC 182 on Jan. 3, 2015. Jones was stripped of the title following his involvement in a hit-and-run auto accident several months later, and Cormier won the vacant belt by submitting Johnson.

Now, Saint Preux, a former Tennessee football player, gets the biggest fight of his life. He's coming off a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Cavalcante – whom the UFC recently cut – on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas. He's 3-2 in his last five fights, with wins also over Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Patrick Cummins, and losses to Ryan Bader and Glover Teixeria.

The co-main event remains a title fight between flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Henry Cejudo.

Jones had said on Instagram prior to White's announcement that he wanted to remain on the card and was willing to fight at either heavyweight or light heavyweight – whatever it took to allow him to compete.

He referred to some of his recent legal trouble – he was given five traffic tickets recently in Albuquerque, N.M., and had his probation terms extended – when he said he wanted to do something for the fans.

"Hey, you know I'm not into taking last-minute fights," Jones said in an Instagram post. "It's not the way me and my trainers do things. But this last year has been real crazy and I feel like I owe my fans so much. So, UFC, whether you got a heavyweight, light heavyweight, it doesn't matter. Let's keep this main event going. Send them my way."