With the conclusion of UFC 187 this Saturday live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas; a longtime grudge match was finally settled more quickly than most people would have expected, and the Light Heavyweight Championship that Jon Jones was forced to vacate following the light of his legal issues and suspension was passed onto a long time rival who then had a brief message for him. That's right, UFC 187 most certainly promised excitement and fights on the main card definitely delived. Let's take a look at the action that unfolded on Saturday Night.
Daniel Cormier submits Anthony Johnson, claims Light Heavyweight Championship, delivers message to Jon Jones.
After going to war for 5 rounds and coming up short via decision to former champion Jon Jones at UFC 182, Daniel Cormier stepped into the octagon at UFC 187 not wanting to do the same in his second chance against the always dangerous Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. The first round saw DC survive a early overhand right following a mandatory (and accidental) eyepoke on Rumble (who's been known to seemingly get one in every fight). Cormier spent the rest of the round trying to takedown the bigger fighter in Johnson, but worked to no avail and gained some boos from the crowd in the process. Johnson then went in for the kill in the second round, but played right into Cormier's hands who finally got his first takedown of the night. From there, Cormier did everything he could to finish Johnson on the ground with ground and pound and kimura attempts, this exhausted Rumble who continued to be dominated from Cormier's relentless top game to close out the second. In the third round it was clear the damage had been done to a gassed out Rumble, but he still managed to go for the finish. He opened the third round with a head kick and managed to get a takedown himself but Cormier popped right back up to his feet. Johnson attempted another takedown and gave up his back in the process, he then tried to get back to his feet but Cormier got him down to the mat and sank in his hooks prior to the fight finishing rear naked choke which came at 2:39 of Round 3. The win gave Cormier his very first UFC Light Heavyweight Championship win, but the real controversy stemmed after the fight where Cormier grabbed the mic and told champion Jon Jones to "get his shit together" and that he'd be waiting for him upon his return. Cormier now joins fellow AKA standout wrestler Cain Velasquez amongst the ranks of UFC champions, but considering how long it may be before Jones returns to the octagon (if he ever does) he'll certainly have plenty of competition to keep him fueled before he travels down that road.
Chris Weidman survives early storm, finishes Belfort in the first to defend Middleweight Championship.
Anderson Silva? Check. Anderson Silva again? Check. Lyoto Machida? Check. And now to add to that list of Brazilian greats that Chris Weidman has beaten in his tenure as UFC Middleweight Champion is longtime contender Vitor Belfort. The difference between this fight and Weidman's previous outings against the aforementioned contenders is that it's the fight that the champion made look the easiest. Regardless of his accusations for Belfort having a higher testosterone count than him, Weidman needed less than three minutes to put away the phenom and end his second chance of becoming the UFC's Middleweight Champion. Weidman started by controlling the centre with head kicks before going to his wrestling, Vitor saw it coming and stunned Weidman with a big knee then swarmed on him afterwards. Weidman rallied however, and took a very excited Belfort down with ease. From there he easily kept the fight on the ground and punished The Phenom with relentless ground and pound. A big elbow was what started it as a rocked Belfort continued to eat hammerfists from the top, eventually he was so hurt that he gave up his position as Weidman mounted him and shortly afterwards Belfort gave up his back. Herb Dean gave Belfort plenty of warning to fight back before he stopped the fight at 2:53 in the very first round. The win now gives Weidman his third successful title defense and he remains undefeated with a professional record of 13-0. Up next for the champ is Luke Rockhold who will definitely promise to deliver a more than exciting fight for the champion sometime hopefully mid-fall this year.
Eight in a row, five finishes for Donald Cerrone, is a title shot next?
Even though he was originally scheduled to face Number 2 ranked Lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, that didn't stop "Cowboy" from unleashing his go for broke style on John Makdessi (who deserves all the credit in the world for stepping up and fighting a top 5 guy on just days notice). Cerrone started off utilizing his 5 inch reach advantage and also took advantage of Makdessi's unorthodox stance by chopping away at his lead legs with kicks. Cerrone struck Makdessi with a head kick that rocked him but couldn't put him away even after a second one, Makdessi held on however and managed to snag some offense towards the end of the round by staying outside the pocket and delivering some punishment to the body but it was unable to win him the round which Cerrone won clearly as Makdessi's leg showed obvious swelling due to the punishment he'd taken. Cerrone continued to pressure "The Bull" with relentless combinations which eventually bloodied him up, Makdessi responded with effective counter striking but a spinning attack came up empty and he ate sevral counters himself. One final combinaton which included a huge head kick broke Makdessi's jaw who tapped before any more damage could be done. At the end of the day, Cerrone chalked up his eigth win in a row with 5 finishes in that streak. Up next may very well be a title shot in a rematch against current champ Rafael dos Anjos, who was the last person to beat Cerrone prior to his impressive win streak.
Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski go to war for under five minutes, Arlovski comes out on top.
In what may go down as arguably the greatest round in the history of the heavyweight division, No. 3 ranked Travis Browne and former Champion and No. 8 ranked Andrei Arlovski slugged it out from open to finish until one came out on top. That man - was Arlovski who took the fight right to the 6 foot 7 Hawaiian the whole time. Arlovski caught Browne early and tried his very best to finish him off, but the always tough Travis Browne refused to give up and managed to connect with some solid shots of his own. Arlovski once again put Hapa on the defensive with relentless punches to head and body starting very good early, eventually Browne began to the feel the pressure and was dangerously close to being finished but once again he still came back and managed to mount some of his own offensive on "The Pitbull" who continued to punish the Hawaiian relentless with shots to the head and body. Arlovski dropped Browne with a spinning back fist but managed to get back to his feet where Arlovski continued to unleash his aggression, at one point in the fight Browne managed to floor Arlovski with a combination of his own until a knee to the head changed the pace. The crowd couldn't help but cheer on the combatanants as Arlovski closed out the first round by delivering sevral elbows to a wounded Browne and forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight at 4:41 of the very first round. Arlovski may have been the winner but this was a fight where there was no loser, both contestants were awarded fight of the night honors for their efforts and definitely earned the respect of the fans for years to come. The win now propels Arlovski's win streak to 5 in a row with his last three coming inside the octagon and last two being first round knockout finishes. I'm sure Travis Browne will definitely be getting another high ranked fighter though after showing his unwillingless to lose.
Joseph Benavidez outworks John Moraga for three rounds en route to unanimous decision win.
Between flyweight contenders Joseph Benavidez and John Moraga, the pair were a combined 14-4 in their respective UFC careers heading into their flyweight clash Saturday night with 3 of those losses coming to UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. But when the dust settled after their three round battle it was safe to assume that there was only room for one fight to go up the ladder, and that fighter was none other than Joe-Bi-Wan who took home his 10th UFC win overall. Moraga came out looking to do what he did best and that's smother Joe-Bi-Wan following a stiff kick but a head kick answer sent the Phoenix Arizona native crashing to the canvas which prompted the Alpha Male flyweight prospect to finish the fight with their signature guillotine choke. Moraga eventually got out, but Benavidez stayed right on top of the action trying to smother a wall walking Moraga with shots to the body. Moraga dropped and a scramble ensued where Moraga was able to take Joe-Bi-Wan's back before Benavidez got back to his feet and scored a takedown of his own before closing the round. The second round saw pretty much was happened in the first round except in reverse as Moraga took Benavidez off his feet for a brief second before ensuing in yet another exchange. Moraga really made good use of the body kick before Benavidez closed to distance and managed to open a cut on Moraga following an accidental headbutt. Benavidez took Moraga down following a clinch up against the cage and attempted to finish with a guillotine before the second round ended. Both men were desperate for a finish and they both attempted to swing for the fences but Benavidez then took Moraga down and went right into side control. Moraga was able to get back to guard after he ate some nice elbows from Joe-Bi-Wan but was unable to mount any offense as Benavidez took the third round and the win. Benavidez is now 10-2 in his UFC career and is 22-4 overall with all his losses coming from former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz or current Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. A third fight with Mighty Mouse may be hard to sell, but if the Joe-Jitsu founder can continue his momentum, the UFC will have no choice but to give him another shot at the title.
Browne, Arlovski, Weidman, and Cormier all bank bonus money.
After this more than exciting card, choosing post fight bonuses certainly would have been a tough task to do. But considering their slugfest got the crowd more pumped up than anything that had been presented to the audience before hand, it's safe to say that Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski were awarded the "Fight of Night" bonus for their efforts Saturday night. Where as champions Daniel Cormier and Chris Weidman not only left with gold around their waist, but also extra bonus money as they both racked up "Performance of the Night" bonuses following Weidman's quick finish of Vitor Belfort, and Cormier's slick submission over Anthony Johnson.
Full results
Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:39 of Rd. 3
Chris Weidman def. Vitor Belfort via TKO (Punches) at 2:53 of Rd. 1
Donald Cerrone def. John Makdessi via TKO (Retirement) at 4:44 of Rd. 2
Andrei Arlovski def. Travis Browne via TKO (Punches) at 4:41 of Rd. 1
Joseph Benavidez def. John Moraga via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
John Dodson def. Zach Makovsky via Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Dong Hyun Kim def. Josh Burkamn via Submission (Arm-triangle Choke) at 2:13 of Rd. 3
Rafael Natal def. Uriah Hall via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Colby Covington def. Mike Pyle via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Islam Makhachev def. Leo Kuntz via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:38 of Rd. 2
Justin Scoggins def. Josh Sampo via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Fight of the Night: Travis Browne vs Andrei Arlovski
Performance of the Night: Daniel Cormier, Chris Weidman
Author: Alex Cochrane
Cited sources: Dana Becker (fightline.com)
Photos: Josh Hedges (gettyimages)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, what a fucking card! This has been the best booked card of 2015 minus the Jones situation and it definitely lived up to the hype, there was only one decision win and every other fight was just breath taking. That Travis Browne/Arlovski fight was just incredible as I saw the highlights this morning, where as I knew Weidman was going to win but didn't expect him to win that quickly. Also good for Cormier for stepping up and taking the challenge when he needed to the most, apparently Ryan Bader's next in line for a title shot, ew.
Daniel Cormier submits Anthony Johnson, claims Light Heavyweight Championship, delivers message to Jon Jones.
After going to war for 5 rounds and coming up short via decision to former champion Jon Jones at UFC 182, Daniel Cormier stepped into the octagon at UFC 187 not wanting to do the same in his second chance against the always dangerous Anthony "Rumble" Johnson. The first round saw DC survive a early overhand right following a mandatory (and accidental) eyepoke on Rumble (who's been known to seemingly get one in every fight). Cormier spent the rest of the round trying to takedown the bigger fighter in Johnson, but worked to no avail and gained some boos from the crowd in the process. Johnson then went in for the kill in the second round, but played right into Cormier's hands who finally got his first takedown of the night. From there, Cormier did everything he could to finish Johnson on the ground with ground and pound and kimura attempts, this exhausted Rumble who continued to be dominated from Cormier's relentless top game to close out the second. In the third round it was clear the damage had been done to a gassed out Rumble, but he still managed to go for the finish. He opened the third round with a head kick and managed to get a takedown himself but Cormier popped right back up to his feet. Johnson attempted another takedown and gave up his back in the process, he then tried to get back to his feet but Cormier got him down to the mat and sank in his hooks prior to the fight finishing rear naked choke which came at 2:39 of Round 3. The win gave Cormier his very first UFC Light Heavyweight Championship win, but the real controversy stemmed after the fight where Cormier grabbed the mic and told champion Jon Jones to "get his shit together" and that he'd be waiting for him upon his return. Cormier now joins fellow AKA standout wrestler Cain Velasquez amongst the ranks of UFC champions, but considering how long it may be before Jones returns to the octagon (if he ever does) he'll certainly have plenty of competition to keep him fueled before he travels down that road.
Chris Weidman survives early storm, finishes Belfort in the first to defend Middleweight Championship.
Anderson Silva? Check. Anderson Silva again? Check. Lyoto Machida? Check. And now to add to that list of Brazilian greats that Chris Weidman has beaten in his tenure as UFC Middleweight Champion is longtime contender Vitor Belfort. The difference between this fight and Weidman's previous outings against the aforementioned contenders is that it's the fight that the champion made look the easiest. Regardless of his accusations for Belfort having a higher testosterone count than him, Weidman needed less than three minutes to put away the phenom and end his second chance of becoming the UFC's Middleweight Champion. Weidman started by controlling the centre with head kicks before going to his wrestling, Vitor saw it coming and stunned Weidman with a big knee then swarmed on him afterwards. Weidman rallied however, and took a very excited Belfort down with ease. From there he easily kept the fight on the ground and punished The Phenom with relentless ground and pound. A big elbow was what started it as a rocked Belfort continued to eat hammerfists from the top, eventually he was so hurt that he gave up his position as Weidman mounted him and shortly afterwards Belfort gave up his back. Herb Dean gave Belfort plenty of warning to fight back before he stopped the fight at 2:53 in the very first round. The win now gives Weidman his third successful title defense and he remains undefeated with a professional record of 13-0. Up next for the champ is Luke Rockhold who will definitely promise to deliver a more than exciting fight for the champion sometime hopefully mid-fall this year.
Eight in a row, five finishes for Donald Cerrone, is a title shot next?
Even though he was originally scheduled to face Number 2 ranked Lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, that didn't stop "Cowboy" from unleashing his go for broke style on John Makdessi (who deserves all the credit in the world for stepping up and fighting a top 5 guy on just days notice). Cerrone started off utilizing his 5 inch reach advantage and also took advantage of Makdessi's unorthodox stance by chopping away at his lead legs with kicks. Cerrone struck Makdessi with a head kick that rocked him but couldn't put him away even after a second one, Makdessi held on however and managed to snag some offense towards the end of the round by staying outside the pocket and delivering some punishment to the body but it was unable to win him the round which Cerrone won clearly as Makdessi's leg showed obvious swelling due to the punishment he'd taken. Cerrone continued to pressure "The Bull" with relentless combinations which eventually bloodied him up, Makdessi responded with effective counter striking but a spinning attack came up empty and he ate sevral counters himself. One final combinaton which included a huge head kick broke Makdessi's jaw who tapped before any more damage could be done. At the end of the day, Cerrone chalked up his eigth win in a row with 5 finishes in that streak. Up next may very well be a title shot in a rematch against current champ Rafael dos Anjos, who was the last person to beat Cerrone prior to his impressive win streak.
Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski go to war for under five minutes, Arlovski comes out on top.
In what may go down as arguably the greatest round in the history of the heavyweight division, No. 3 ranked Travis Browne and former Champion and No. 8 ranked Andrei Arlovski slugged it out from open to finish until one came out on top. That man - was Arlovski who took the fight right to the 6 foot 7 Hawaiian the whole time. Arlovski caught Browne early and tried his very best to finish him off, but the always tough Travis Browne refused to give up and managed to connect with some solid shots of his own. Arlovski once again put Hapa on the defensive with relentless punches to head and body starting very good early, eventually Browne began to the feel the pressure and was dangerously close to being finished but once again he still came back and managed to mount some of his own offensive on "The Pitbull" who continued to punish the Hawaiian relentless with shots to the head and body. Arlovski dropped Browne with a spinning back fist but managed to get back to his feet where Arlovski continued to unleash his aggression, at one point in the fight Browne managed to floor Arlovski with a combination of his own until a knee to the head changed the pace. The crowd couldn't help but cheer on the combatanants as Arlovski closed out the first round by delivering sevral elbows to a wounded Browne and forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight at 4:41 of the very first round. Arlovski may have been the winner but this was a fight where there was no loser, both contestants were awarded fight of the night honors for their efforts and definitely earned the respect of the fans for years to come. The win now propels Arlovski's win streak to 5 in a row with his last three coming inside the octagon and last two being first round knockout finishes. I'm sure Travis Browne will definitely be getting another high ranked fighter though after showing his unwillingless to lose.
Joseph Benavidez outworks John Moraga for three rounds en route to unanimous decision win.
Between flyweight contenders Joseph Benavidez and John Moraga, the pair were a combined 14-4 in their respective UFC careers heading into their flyweight clash Saturday night with 3 of those losses coming to UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. But when the dust settled after their three round battle it was safe to assume that there was only room for one fight to go up the ladder, and that fighter was none other than Joe-Bi-Wan who took home his 10th UFC win overall. Moraga came out looking to do what he did best and that's smother Joe-Bi-Wan following a stiff kick but a head kick answer sent the Phoenix Arizona native crashing to the canvas which prompted the Alpha Male flyweight prospect to finish the fight with their signature guillotine choke. Moraga eventually got out, but Benavidez stayed right on top of the action trying to smother a wall walking Moraga with shots to the body. Moraga dropped and a scramble ensued where Moraga was able to take Joe-Bi-Wan's back before Benavidez got back to his feet and scored a takedown of his own before closing the round. The second round saw pretty much was happened in the first round except in reverse as Moraga took Benavidez off his feet for a brief second before ensuing in yet another exchange. Moraga really made good use of the body kick before Benavidez closed to distance and managed to open a cut on Moraga following an accidental headbutt. Benavidez took Moraga down following a clinch up against the cage and attempted to finish with a guillotine before the second round ended. Both men were desperate for a finish and they both attempted to swing for the fences but Benavidez then took Moraga down and went right into side control. Moraga was able to get back to guard after he ate some nice elbows from Joe-Bi-Wan but was unable to mount any offense as Benavidez took the third round and the win. Benavidez is now 10-2 in his UFC career and is 22-4 overall with all his losses coming from former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz or current Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. A third fight with Mighty Mouse may be hard to sell, but if the Joe-Jitsu founder can continue his momentum, the UFC will have no choice but to give him another shot at the title.
Browne, Arlovski, Weidman, and Cormier all bank bonus money.
After this more than exciting card, choosing post fight bonuses certainly would have been a tough task to do. But considering their slugfest got the crowd more pumped up than anything that had been presented to the audience before hand, it's safe to say that Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski were awarded the "Fight of Night" bonus for their efforts Saturday night. Where as champions Daniel Cormier and Chris Weidman not only left with gold around their waist, but also extra bonus money as they both racked up "Performance of the Night" bonuses following Weidman's quick finish of Vitor Belfort, and Cormier's slick submission over Anthony Johnson.
Full results
Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:39 of Rd. 3
Chris Weidman def. Vitor Belfort via TKO (Punches) at 2:53 of Rd. 1
Donald Cerrone def. John Makdessi via TKO (Retirement) at 4:44 of Rd. 2
Andrei Arlovski def. Travis Browne via TKO (Punches) at 4:41 of Rd. 1
Joseph Benavidez def. John Moraga via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
John Dodson def. Zach Makovsky via Unanimous Decision (29-28 x3)
Dong Hyun Kim def. Josh Burkamn via Submission (Arm-triangle Choke) at 2:13 of Rd. 3
Rafael Natal def. Uriah Hall via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Colby Covington def. Mike Pyle via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Islam Makhachev def. Leo Kuntz via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:38 of Rd. 2
Justin Scoggins def. Josh Sampo via Unanimous Decision (30-27 x3)
Fight of the Night: Travis Browne vs Andrei Arlovski
Performance of the Night: Daniel Cormier, Chris Weidman
Author: Alex Cochrane
Cited sources: Dana Becker (fightline.com)
Photos: Josh Hedges (gettyimages)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow, what a fucking card! This has been the best booked card of 2015 minus the Jones situation and it definitely lived up to the hype, there was only one decision win and every other fight was just breath taking. That Travis Browne/Arlovski fight was just incredible as I saw the highlights this morning, where as I knew Weidman was going to win but didn't expect him to win that quickly. Also good for Cormier for stepping up and taking the challenge when he needed to the most, apparently Ryan Bader's next in line for a title shot, ew.
Last edited by a moderator:
: I was kinda hoping Anthony Johnson would write a tremendous comeback story but Cormier was the better athlete. AJ really needs to work on his conditioning if he has any chance of becoming a champion.