Here's why Daniel Cormier can't fight Anthony Johnson at UFC 205 in NYC

Daniel Cormier would love to defend his light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson at what will likely be the biggest card of the year at UFC 205 in November, but the champion has prior commitments.

Cormier, along with fellow UFC champion Dominick Cruz, will make the jump from just analyzing fights to actually calling fights when they take over the color commentator spot for the next two UFC Fight Night’s on FS1, the two champions told the LA Times’ Lance Pugmire.

Cruz will join Jon Anik in the booth for this Saturday’s Fight Night in Brasilia, while Cormier and Anik will handle the Oct. 1 card in Portland. That assignment, which Cormier considers an “honor” and a “pat on the back”, will keep DC from adequately preparing for his second title defense during the UFC’s debut in New York City.

“I don’t control the fights. I show up when they tell me,” Cormier said. “I said, ‘OK, we can fight, but it’s not going to be November.’ I’ve got this play-by-play gig and other things to do before I start training. You can ask anybody -- when I start training, there’s no more ‘UFC Tonight.’ I just start training. I want 10, 12 weeks to feel confident about a fight.”

There are six weeks between UFC Fight Night in Portland and UFC 205, one of which is actual fight week, where fighters typically spend their time wrapping up media obligations and shedding the final pounds before weigh-ins. So with really just five weeks to prepare, UFC 205 was out of the question for DC.

Looking ahead, however, there are a few dates in December that could work for the light heavyweight champion. The promotion is holding a PPV on Dec. 10 in Toronto, which could signal the return of welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. There’s also another PPV 20 days later on Dec. 30, which could feature Ronda Rousey’s return to the Octagon.

Either card would work financially after missing out on New York, with big names speculated to be on the card, and they both meet Cormier’s training camp criteria. It appears now, we just have to wait for the UFC to pick a date.