Tag: UFC 187

Daniel Cormier Making Smack Talk, Grudge Matches Standard Fare in UFC

UFC 187 on Saturday was a huge event in a variety of ways. Objectively looking over the card, the night just plain couldn’t have gotten much better with two title fights, title eliminators in the heavyweight and lightweight divisions and, function…

UFC 187 on Saturday was a huge event in a variety of ways. Objectively looking over the card, the night just plain couldn’t have gotten much better with two title fights, title eliminators in the heavyweight and lightweight divisions and, functionally, a jump ball for the next crack at the flyweight belt. 

It’s an event that, theoretically, should sell itself on quality of competition alone.

But that wasn’t the case, of course.

UFC 187 was the culmination of several ongoing storylines that all came to a head on fight night.

Chris Weidman delivered sweet, sweet comeuppance to controversial former TRT user Vitor Belfort. Andrei Arlovski continued one of the greatest career comebacks in MMA history by beating friend and former training partner, Travis Browne.

Above all else, though, Daniel Cormier wrote a new chapter in his rivalry with Jon Jones, while kicking off a filler arc with his new mortal enemy, Ryan Bader. That, right there, is the long overdue approach the UFC has needed to take with its biggest fights.

Many words have been said about the UFC’s promotion-first approach, when the organization tries to draw customers on its own name, rather than those of its individual fighters. It’s a logical-yet-not strategy for a company that went through bitter divorces with the crossover stars—like Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock and Randy Couture—who laid the sport’s foundation.

Still, it also is one that has cost the UFC recently, as old favorites like B.J. Penn and Georges St-Pierre have exited the competition end of the sport and taken their fans with them.

The UFC’s faux “pure sport” approach, billing itself as the Super Bowl of MMA, gave the UFC a degree of legitimacy among hardcore fans, but it came at the expense of building a full combat sports package.

While legendary rivalries like Ortiz vs. Shamrock and Couture vs. Chuck Liddell built things up for the eventual mainstream push, the UFC was long content in letting the majority of events be 11 Fighter A vs. Fighter B affairs, devoid of the instant accessibility of a battle between former friends or a revenge story for an injured teammate.

Yes, there were the occasional departures from the norm. Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had a tense competition on The Ultimate Fighter season 10. Chael Sonnen was one of the biggest names in MMA for a solid three years, entirely based off his gift of gab. 

For a long time, those were outliers, but UFC 187 may very well go down as the point where bitter grudge matches become the standard for UFC main events.

As stated, Cormier hedged his bets at UFC 187, calling out Jones immediately after defeating Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and getting into a heated back-and-forth with Bader at the post-fight presser.

Cormier is quickly becoming one of the hottest names in MMA, and he isn’t close to being the only champion to heat things up with his prospective opponents lately, either.

Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor at UFC 189 in July is at the center of an unprecedented media push defined by barbs, line-stepping and smack talk. UFC 190’s Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia in August has a built-in storyline from Correia defeating two of the “Four Horsewomen.” Even Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson are starting to get into it.

Is this just a perfect storm of grumpiness with the UFC’s current crop of champions? Perhaps.

Either way, beef is being served with essentially every pay-per-view these days…and it’s delicious.

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Luke Rockhold: Vitor Belfort Deserved to Get Beat Up, He’s a ‘Joke’

As Vitor Belfort lie beneath Chris Weidman, beaten and battered from unanswered punches and elbows, Luke Rockhold sat cageside, enjoying every second of it. Every ounce of respect for the 38-year-old MMA legend is gone for Rockhold, who still believes …

As Vitor Belfort lie beneath Chris Weidman, beaten and battered from unanswered punches and elbows, Luke Rockhold sat cageside, enjoying every second of it. Every ounce of respect for the 38-year-old MMA legend is gone for Rockhold, who still believes he was cheated out of a UFC title shot.

Belfort, a past prescribed user of testosterone replacement therapy, blasted Rockhold in the first round of their middleweight bout in May 2013. The highlight reel knockout has seen more play than a 90s Backstreet Boys video.

But for Rockhold, it serves as a cold reminder for what he believes was stolen from him.

The bout took place in a time where prescribed TRT treatment was allowed in MMA. When speaking with MMA Fighting‘s Ariel Helwani, it was obvious Rockhold still hasn’t let go of the past.

“As nice as it would be to fight Vitor and get my hands around his little chicken neck, I wish nothing good for him,” Rockhold said. “He deserved it. I wanted to see Vitor get beat up. I’m happy he got what he deserved.”

Belfort looked to have Weidman in all sorts of trouble early in the fight. In typical Phenom fashion, the former UFC light heavyweight champ sprinted after Weidman with a barrage of uppercuts and hooks. But like every great champion, Weidman triumphed in the face of adversity by weathering the early storm and securing a takedown.

The initial roller coaster ride was all downhill from there for Belfort, who looked like a shark on dry land. It was the inevitable outcome Rockhold expected.

“Weidman got rocked, that’s what I said before,” he said. “Vitor would come out with his initial steroid burst, and then the fight would be over.”

There was controversy at the UFC 187 weigh-ins a day before the fight. After stepping onto the scale, Weidman said his camp learned Belfort had a testosterone score of 1,200 heading into the bout. He claimed Belfort was “cheating,” and he was going to “make him pay.”

He elaborated on his comments a bit more at the post-fight press conference. According to Weidman, the report came from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Rockhold didn’t need any confirmation of guilt to lay suspicion on Belfort.

“The test results doesn’t come out like that like they reported,” Rockhold said. “Testosterone doesn’t fluctuate like that for an older man like that. It’s not if he’s cheating—it’s how much is he cheating.”

The UFC has yet to officially name Rockhold the next No. 1 contender, but he is expected to be the next man in line to challenge Weidman for the middleweight title.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Chris Weidman: Put Your Doubts to Rest, Hop on the Bandwagon

For far too long, Chris Weidman has been treated like a placeholder atop the middleweight division. Being the successor of arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history will do that to you.
Professional wrestling great “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair&nb…

For far too long, Chris Weidman has been treated like a placeholder atop the middleweight division. Being the successor of arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history will do that to you.

Professional wrestling great “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair always said, “To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man”—a feat Weidman accomplished twice.

We all remember the lead up to UFC 162 in July 2013. Weidman was a sexy pick among MMA pundits, but the vast majority saw the NCAA Division I All-American wrestler as another nameless victim to add to Anderson Silva’s resume.

Opinions hardly changed after Weidman stunned the Las Vegas crowd with the left hook heard ’round the world, leaving Silva postured motionless in the Octagon. The talk around town predicated around “luck” and Silva’s boastful in-cage shenanigans.

Weidman was seen as a one-hit wonder, the Paula Abdul of the middleweight division. A refocused, rededicated Silva would prove it was all a fluke. Throw away all of the taunts and Michael Jackson dance moves.

There was no way in hell Silva could lose to Weidman twice, right?

Wrong.

Weidman left the MMA legend on his backside once again at UFC 168 in December 2013—this time holding a broken leg after going shin to knee on a blocked kick. But respect was still denied to the young lion. Rumblings of Silva being past his prime and over the hill clouded Weidman‘s Herculean feat.

If one Brazilian legend wasn’t enough, Weidman conquered two more in Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. After defeating Belfort on Saturday UFC 187, he gave fight fans one final chance to join his team during his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan:

Hey, stop doubting me. It’s enough. Stop doubting me. You better join the team now. This is my last invitation. Join the team. I love you. I’m for real. I felt that after the Machida fight there was a good group of people that started following and there was believers. But with the time off, the haters just grew stronger and stronger, so I had to just come in here and do my thing again.

Weidman did his thing all too well against Belfort, surviving the initial flurry before wrestling the future Hall of Famer to the ground. Once the fight hit the floor, the ending of the UFC 187 co-main event played out as predictable as a B-movie.

Weidman pummeled the 38-year-old legend into submission with punches and elbows, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in and to call a halt to the action at 2:53 of the first round.

For those late to the party, there is still enough room aboard the Weidman bandwagon.

Put your doubts to rest. Silva’s successor has arrived, and he is every bit as talented as we hoped he would be.

No, he isn’t living in the Matrix like Silva, who made a career out of pulling off techniques you’d only see in movies. But Weidman has the ability to do some very special things at 185 pounds.

No man walks away with victories over Silva, Machida and Belfort without a story to tell. Whether you jump on the bandwagon or spit on the notion of Team Weidman, we can all at least agree the man has earned his respect.

Historically, doubt has never toiled on a three-hit wonder.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Daniel Cormier: A Few Years Ago, My Family Was ‘on Welfare’

Daniel Cormier was one of the brightest collegiate wrestling prospects in the country, but he never won an NCAA Division I title. A rare opportunity for Olympic gold came calling in 2004, but once again, Cormier was denied in his bid to be a world cham…

Daniel Cormier was one of the brightest collegiate wrestling prospects in the country, but he never won an NCAA Division I title. A rare opportunity for Olympic gold came calling in 2004, but once again, Cormier was denied in his bid to be a world champion.

The 36-year-old native of Lafayette, Louisiana, never knew what it felt like to stand at the peak of the mountaintop—until now.

So much meaning can be taken from a leather strap plated in gold, with the letters U-F-C stamped across it.

Cormier’s entire life has been full of tragedy and shortcomings. At age seven, his father was shot and killed on Thanksgiving by the father of his second wife. Cormier’s daughter died in a tragic car accident in 2003.

But through everything, Cormier always managed to pick himself back up and continue moving forward.

Perhaps it was only fitting Anthony “Rumble” Johnson dropped him with a massive overhand right early in the first round of the vacant light heavyweight title fight at UFC 187 on Saturday. For a man accustomed to sinking or swimming, it only made sense for Cormier’s dreams to shine through in the face of adversity.

Johnson’s face is the last thing most people see before it all goes dark. But the “King of the Grind” went back to his wrestling roots to survive the initial flurry and keep the fight on his terms. With all of his power and might, Johnson came apart bit by bit before our very eyes.

The same reincarnated beast who slaughtered Alexander Gustafsson, among many others, looked human for the first time in over three years. Ultimately, the same sport that broke Cormier’s heart time and time again was the same one that made it whole.

As Johnson finally succumbed to the pressure in the third round, giving up his back, Cormier pushed his forearm across Johnson’s neck, wrapped his hand around his own tricep and squeezed with all of his might. It was a simple and poetic sequence of events that made the impossible into possible.

Johnson waved the white flag, changing a boy’s dream into a man’s reality.

Sitting onstage at the post-fight press conference Saturday night, Cormier recalled being stuck in a one-bedroom apartment with his fiancee, his son and an empty bank account:

We had nothing. Salina and I had nothing. She’s been with me since I had one fight. One time, we had our son, young baby. I was in Strikeforce, and I would barely fight. Salina and I had a 700-square foot apartment in San Jose, California—one bedroom—and we had no money. And my family has no money down in Louisiana. And I was so desperate because we had no gas, we had nothing.

We were on welfare. We called my parents, and they don’t have much. But my mom, my dad, my brothers and my sister—they pulled together whatever they had and they had $575, and they sent it to Salina and I. And it allowed us to actually get through the month until my next sponsorship check from Cage Fighter came. … It’s great to give this championship to my parents and my fiancee because now, we’re fine.

Much has been made about the legitimacy of Cormier’s title win. Jon Jones, the former light heavyweight champion, was stripped and suspended of the title in April after being arrested on a felony charge for a hit-and-run incident.

Undefeated and widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Jones was well on his way to achieving all-time greatness. Not to mention, he defeated Cormier in his final defense as champion at UFC 182 in January.

But as Cormier rightly reminded us at the post-fight presser, “You have to be a champion in all facets of life.”

Jones seemed to take being UFC champion for granted.

Having been on the brink of seeing his family suffer, Cormier is unlikely to make those same mistakes. If we can take anything from UFC 187, perhaps the biggest lesson is one in patience. Being a champion isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a treacherous journey full of failures and missteps.

For Cormier, it all started on a wrestling mat. Through a life’s worth of trials and tribulations, it culminated into him standing in the center of the Octagon, celebrating a moment that can never be taken away.

 

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

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Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne Classic Almost Didn’t Happen, UFC Brass Said

Just hours before Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne took the cage for one classic round of heavyweight brawling, UFC leaders nearly waved off the bout before it started.
After his stirring first-round TKO victory, Arlovski revealed he injured his calf …

Just hours before Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne took the cage for one classic round of heavyweight brawling, UFC leaders nearly waved off the bout before it started.

After his stirring first-round TKO victory, Arlovski revealed he injured his calf during a training session just days before his bout Saturday at UFC 187. 

“I am injured, I hurt my leg during my last workout on Thursday,” Arlovski said afterward in a statement released to reporters. “We finished up training, and I told my coach I wanted to go one more round just to test my reactions. We were moving around, and he kicked me on the inside of my shin, and I got a little cocky and started dancing around, and I felt something in my leg.”

But it turned out there was more to the story.

In a post-fight interview on Fox Sports 1 (per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting), UFC President Dana White indicated Arlovski was still compromised as the card was set to begin, so much so that the UFC medical staff and White himself felt compelled to intervene:

Two hours before he came out, we didn’t think he was going to fight. He popped something in his calf the night before, could barely walk, was limping. The doctors checked him out and I guarantee you, he gritted it out to show the doctors that he could fight. So the doctors said, ‘It’s up to you, do you want to fight?’ He said, ‘Yes.’

Then I had people go get him and bring him to my dressing room and said, ‘Do you want to fight? Are you sure you want to take this fight? You don’t have to take this fight.’ He looked at me and said, ‘Is this seriously why you just called me back here?’ I said yeah. He said, ‘I’m fighting,’ and he left my dressing room. And then came out and did that.

There was no outward indication during the fight that Arlovski was injured, and the exact nature or extent of his injury remained unclear Sunday.

Assuming he was indeed injured, Arlovski’s memorable victory just became even more impressive.

Arlovski rocked Browne with punches early, and during the ensuing rush to finish, he was floored by Browne. Arlovski recovered, however, and put the favorite away with punches, knees and elbows at 4:41 of the opening round.

It was the latest chapter in an unlikely and amazing career resurgence for the 36-year-old Arlovski, who is 3-0 since rejoining the UFC just a year ago. After his win Saturday, he may even be in the mix for a heavyweight title shot.

After the event, Browne and Arlovski both received $50,000 post-fight bonus checks for waging the best fight of the night.

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UFC 187 Results: 3 Fights for Anthony Johnson to Take Next

Win or lose, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson was going to leave UFC 187 on Saturday as a winner.
His admirable journey back to MMA prominence didn’t need to be validated by a UFC light heavyweight championship.
Sure, it would have splattered his growing …

Win or lose, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson was going to leave UFC 187 on Saturday as a winner.

His admirable journey back to MMA prominence didn’t need to be validated by a UFC light heavyweight championship.

Sure, it would have splattered his growing resume with a gigantic exclamation mark, but Johnson’s return to stardom is all anyone could wish for.

Well, Rumble didn’t win that aforementioned belt.

Instead, it was Daniel Cormier’s pressure-cooking wrestling, relentless conditioning and unheralded chin that reigned supreme at UFC 187.

Johnson ultimately gassed out on the heels of fending off a 205-pound version of Cain Velasquez, but he landed significant shots throughout the fight.

At just 31 years of age, the Blackzilian has plenty of potential moving forward.

Here are three fights for Johnson to take next as he tries to stay afloat a rather top-heavy weight class.

 

Winner of Glover Teixeira vs. Ovince Saint Preux

This matchup makes the most sense for Johnson at this time.

The only problem is that Glover Teixeira and Ovince Saint Preux aren’t scheduled to fight until early August at UFC Fight Night 73, which wouldn’t pin Rumble against the winner until the end of the year.

That’s too long for a guy like Johnson, who is probably eager to get back inside of the cage and reclaim his divisional stake.

But at the end of the day, taking some time off to adjust his conditioning and reestablish his submission defense could be exactly what he needs.

And considering he was just submitted by DC, Johnson would probably opt to fight OSP instead of a Brazilian with a second-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu.

 

Alexander Gustafsson

Johnson simply obliterated Alexander Gustafsson when the two first met at UFC on Fox 14 in January, winning by first-round TKO, but a rematch between the two would certainly suffice in a division desperate for elite matchups.

Despite the defeat to Rumble, Gustafsson still remains a top-5 threat at light heavyweight and a name that carries more weight than 99.9 percent of the division.

With that said, The Mauler must shake off a recent back injury in order to fight Johnson by summer’s end.

It would serve as a great co-main event for UFC 191 on Sept. 5.

 

Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson

If Johnson is looking to fight a light heavyweight capable and willing to stand toe-to-toe, he should look no further than Quinton Jackson.

Having capped off a successful return to the Octagon in April at UFC 186 opposite Fabio Maldonado, Rampage is eager to display his newfound patient striking against a top name.

At this point in their careers, Johnson most certainly possesses more punching power and an ability to turn it on and finish, but Jackson brings a certain amount of experience to the cage that simply can’t be measured.

There wouldn’t be much for Rumble to gain from such a matchup, but it remains an intriguing fight that would be an easy sell for the promotion.

 

 

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