The officials for the two championships fights slated to take place May 23 at UFC 187 were selected Friday morning at a Las Vegas meeting of the Nevada Athletic Commission.
Veteran referee “Big” John McCarthy landed duties for the pay-per-view’s main event, which features an interim light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson. Las Vegas regulars Adelaide Byrd, Derek Cleary, and Chris Lee were unanimously approved to judge the contest.
Cormier and Johnson meet to decide the first UFC light heavyweight champion since former titleholder Jon Jones captured the belt in 2011. Jones was initially slated to defend his title against Johnson in UFC 187’s main event, however that fight fell apart once Jones was stripped of his title and suspended indefinitely for his alleged role in a bizarre hit and run accident last month that left one pregnant victim with a fractured arm.
Fellow veteran Herb Dean landed refereeing duties for UFC 187’s co-main event, which features a long-awaited bout between UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and challenger Vitor Belfort. Sal D’amoco, Marcos Rosales and Junichiro Kamijo were awarded judging duties for the contest.
UFC 187 marks the fourth attempt by the promotion to book Weidman vs. Belfort. The fight was initially set to take place in early 2014, however Belfort’s failed drug test and the subsequent NAC ban on testosterone replacement therapy led to the bout’s cancellation. Injuries by Weidman subsequently nixed the fight off the cards of both UFC 181 and UFC 184.
UFC 187 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The main card is slated to air on pay-per-view.