A dream has turned into a nightmare for UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier as his UFC 200 opponent Jon Jones has been flagged for an anti-doping violation by the US Anti-Doping Agency, forcing their main event title bout off the promotion’s landmark card.

“I’m very disappointed, I worked really hard for this,” Cormier told the media after learning of Jones’ positive test. “I don’t know how to explain how I’m feeling right now.”

Cormier and Jones have had a very contentious road to the rematch of their UFC 182 bout, that has included verbal barbs traded back and forth both face to face and through the media.  However, the 37-year-old refrained from taking any more shots at his adversary following the positive test.

“I’m not a guy that likes to pile on somebody,” said Cormier.  “It doesn’t matter who it is, USADA changes a lot of things.”

The title holder thought his opponent had legitimately made the changes in his life and turned things around.

“For all that I knew, he looked like he was doing good,” said Cormier. “He said all the right things; he put a team in place. I was very hard on him (during the lead up to the fight), but at the end of it, if he was doing better, who am I as the moral police?”

With the Cormier v. Jones fight off the UFC 200 card, the co-main event heavyweight tilt between Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt will move into the final spot on the card, though it will remain a three-round fight.

As for the light heavyweight champion, he’s willing to remain on UFC 200 and step into the Octagon against another fighter.

“I’ve trained hard and long, if anyone would fight I would fight, why not?”

Despite the numerous problems with drug tests and the law, Cormier was not ready to shut the door on a possible fight with Jones in the future.

“If Jon was back and the fight was asked for, of course I would take it,” said Cormier.  “I’m here to fight and be an example for kids to look up to.”

Cormier told TSN.ca, prior to the fight being taken off the card, that he was very proud of the work he had done and was looking forward to defending the belt in the main event of the biggest event in UFC history.

“I get to go in there, last guy to walk to the Octagon at the biggest event the UFC has ever seen and I get to go and right a wrong that I feel has haunted me for over a year and a half now.”

Unfortunately for Cormier, he’ll have to wait a lot longer to right that wrong.