When former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones was involved in a hit-and-run accident last month, the UFC stripped him of the light heavyweight title and suspended the New York native indefinitely. The incident came as a great blow to the UFC, as Jones was slated to face the division’s No. 1 contender in Anthony Johnson at UFC 187. However, even in the absence of Jones, UFC 187 has the potential to become one of the highest-grossing pay-per-views of 2015.
Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier
A great amount of anticipation surrounded the Jones/Johnson match-up, as the challenger set out and destroyed every one of his foes since entering the light heavyweight ranks for the first time in his UFC career at UFC 172. Johnson even dismantled Jones’ greatest test to date in Alexander Gustafsson at UFC on Fox 14 in just two minutes, 15 seconds of the first round. Therefore, their matchup at UFC 187 was expected to be one of epic proportions. However, with the outing of Jones, entered the man whom the former champion defeated in his last bout, Daniel Cormier.
Speaking on an episode of MMA Hour, Johnson commented on his upcoming fight and gave light to his feeling toward Jones and Cormier:
Yeah, I will feel I’m the champion if (Cormier) I beat him. I worked my ass off to get where I am. It’s not my fault, not anybody’s fault with what happened with Jon (Jones). Jon (Jones) did that to himself, everybody knows that. But, life goes on and you got to keep it moving, But when he comes back, if I still have the title and it’s time to fight him, I’ll fight him. One day we will fight.
Despite his lone loss to Jones, Cormier has been known to utilize his wrestling to literally manhandle and throw around his opponents. He sports significant wins over MMA legends in Soa Palelei, Jeff Monson, Antonio Silva, Roy Nelson, and former world champions in Josh Barnett, Frank Mir and Dan Henderson. Cormier is a formidable opponent, and his bout against Johnson at UFC 187 represents nothing less than elite.
Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
Chris Weidman is the only man to twice defeat who many consider to be the greatest of all time in Anderson Silva. Both bouts ended in dramatic fashion—one in Silva’s knockout and the last with the breaking of his leg due to a blocked kick.
The two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler is the only undefeated male champion in the UFC and boasts wins over longtime veterans in Demian Maia, Mark Munoz, and former world champions Silva and Lyoto Machida. At UFC 187, he will take on the No. 3 contender, Vitor Belfort.
In preparation for his fight with Belfort, Weidman uploaded the following picture of his foe on Instagram with a message of inspiration written on it:
I, Chris Weidman, will defeat Vitor Belfort on May 23rd, 2015, and still be the UFC champ!
#Work hard every day
#No excuses
#Refuse to lose
#Physical, mental and SPIRITUAL.
Belfort, on the other hand, is 10-2 in his last 12 bouts and has lost only to two of the most gifted athletes of all time since 2007, Jones and Silva. He is explosive and sports heavy hands, knocking out the likes of MMA greats in Henderson, Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping, Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva.
Given their inclination to end fights, a matchup between Weidman and Belfort most likely will not be decided by the judges. This bout is highly anticipated and represents yet another high-octane bout that is sure to deliver.
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