Daniel Cormier and Chris Weidman reigned victorious in their title fights at UFC 187 on Saturday.
Cormier took on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson as the pair fought for the vacant light heavyweight crown in Jon Jones’ absence at the MGM Grand Gardens Arena in Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Weidman maintained his perfect record (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) with his rallying first-round victory over Vitor Belfort.
Here are the full fight card results:
Cormier Forces Johnson into Submission
Cormier got off to a slightly rocky start in the fight as Rumble edged the first round.
Johnson began brightly to test Cormier with some jabs and an outside leg kick, before dropping Cormier with a powerful right hand.
Cormier grew into the round, though, and was able to throw Johnson to the floor before putting him in a headlock.
Johnson separated well, and the pair traded blows before Cormier ground Johnson into the cage.
DC dominated the second round as he started to exert more control over proceedings.
Johnson began by aiming a kick to Cormier‘s head, but DC reacted well by catching it and again flooring his opponent.
Cormier pounced on the stricken Johnson, attempting a kimura before keeping Rumble pinned with a series of hard elbows.
As the bleeding Johnson returned to his corner with some difficulty, Fox Sports’ Ariel Helwani notes the fight swinging firmly in Cormier‘s favour:
Keen to claw his way back into the contest, Johnson started the third round with aggression, landing a hook before momentarily grounding his opponent and following up with two robust right hands.
Cormier had Johnson’s number, though, taking Rumble’s back and squirming an arm under his chin for a rear-naked choke finish that forced Johnson to tap out.
Cormier enjoyed a tense exchange with Ryan Bader in the post-fight press conference (warning, contains NSFW language):
Bader could well be Cormier‘s next opponent with Jones’ absence set to continue for the foreseeable future.
As the war of words has already hinted, it could be a fascinating clash.
Weidman Shocks Belfort with Stunning Fightback
In a much shorter clash, Weidman beat Belfort in a first-round TKO.
The opening seconds made Weidman‘s victory all the more stunning because Belfort began in some style.
Weidman launched two unsuccessful head kicks before southpaw Belfort unloaded a barrage of hooks and elbows on the 30-year-old.
Weidman would not be cowed and responded with a double leg takedown before mercilessly unleashing a vicious ground-and-pound assault on Belfort, whose helpless struggles to get up were in vain as referee Herb Dean was convinced of Weidman‘s victory.
Despite his impressive victory, Weidman admits that he needs to continue improving to truly reach the top, per MMA Fighting:
He also indicated Luke Rockhold would be his desired opponent in the next fight:
Rockhold‘s mastery of jiu-jitsu has forced Tim Boetsch, Michael Bisping and Lyoto Machida into submission in recent bouts, so a potential clash with Weidman is a mouth-watering prospect.
For now, Weidman continues to walk the path of a UFC champion.
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