UFC 187 got off to a rocky start with some lackluster prelims, but the main card turned it up to 11.
All five fights delivered.
Flyweights John Moraga and Joseph Benavidez performed at a high level and had some good grappling exchanges. Lightweights Donald Cerrone and John Makdessi showcased their standing in the next fight. Then Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne tore the house down.
And the night wasn’t over. There were still two title fights to go.
Chris Weidman and Daniel Cormier continued to show the power of USA Wrestling. Both men took their opponents down and dominated. Weidman in quicker fashion with a TKO in the first round, and Cormier got the submission in the third after breaking Anthony Johnson.
After that main card, who won the bonuses? Here’s who:
Performance of the Night: Chris Weidman
Weidman got $50,000 in performance bonus money for his destruction of Vitor Belfort.
He had to take a few punches during Belfort‘s early flurry, but he was never in big danger. He covered up nicely while Belfort wasted energy. Then came the takedown. Once Belfort was down, Weidman easily passed into mount where he landed quality ground-and-pound.
The first-round TKO finish was certainly worth the bonus cash.
Performance of the Night: Daniel Cormier
It was almost a short night for Cormier.
DC got dropped by an early overhand right from Johnson, but he was able to recover. Once he regained his bearings, DC was able to initiate his game plan. Cormier‘s wrestling is vastly superior to Johnson’s, and he made him carry his weight.
Johnson gassed visibly very quickly. In the second round, Johnson was only able to muster a short burst of strikes before once again meeting the mat. In the third, Cormier finished with a rear-naked choke.
After the fight, Cormier called out Jon Jones. Jones is still indefinitely suspended, but UFC President Dana White said earlier in the week he will get an immediate title shot once he is reinstated. Thus, it would appear the second fight between the rivals is on tap once Jones is clear to return.
But this is all about UFC 187. Cormier‘s championship showing earned him pocket change.
Fight of the Night: Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne
There is no other choice than the crazy, insane, fantastic heavyweight scrap between Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne.
It was bonkers.
Arlovski rocked Browne repeatedly only to nearly suffer a knockout loss. Arlovski worked back up to his feet and hurt Browne again! This time he was able to finish. And I am underselling what happened in that fight. The round of the year.
The heavyweight tilt may very well be at the top of the list for Fight of the Year in 2015. It was that good. Time will tell what the victory does for Arlovski, but there is little doubt this was one of his most memorable fights. It was an instant classic. Fantastic fight worth every penny.
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