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UFC 187: Latest Fight Card Predictions and Projected Winners

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but the winner of the showdown between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson will probably want to take their new light heavyweight championship belt home.
The clash between the two fighters is the main event of UF…

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but the winner of the showdown between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson will probably want to take their new light heavyweight championship belt home.

The clash between the two fighters is the main event of UFC 187 in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. With five main card matches and a crowded undercard, mixed martial arts fans will be thrilled with Saturday’s action.

Here is a look at the entire fight card and the predicted winners.

Fight to Watch: Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (19-4-0) vs. Daniel “DC” Cormier (15-1-0)

Johnson and Cormier will square off for the vacant light heavyweight title Saturday. As if the stakes weren’t enough, their distinct styles make the fight all the more intriguing because both must control the tempo and utilize their strengths to come away with the marquee victory.

Cormier lost his sparkling undefeated record to Jon Jones, but he gets a shot at redemption against a red-hot Johnson. In fact, Rumble boasts nine consecutive victories on his resume and packs one of the most powerful punches in all of MMA.

While Johnson also brings some quickness to the table to supplement his famed power, Cormier boasts a wrestling background and will likely try to get this match to the mat at times. DC is also quick on his feet, and that speed will pose a problem for his opponent’s punching.

Johnson must deal with the speed and wrestling combination of Cormier (as well as the transitions between the wrestling and striking), which will become more of an issue the longer the fight proceeds and the more fatigue becomes a factor.

UFC.com underscored Cormier‘s tempo by noting that he lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute compared to Johnson’s 3.33. DC is also more accurate at 48.12 percent to Rumble’s 45.47 percent. A long fight favors the accurate striker with the versatility of a wrestling background, so Cormier must avoid any crippling power blows in the early going.

Despite those statistics, Dan Downes of UFC.com believes Johnson’s power will be enough to overcome Cormier’s abilities:

Daniel Cormier is an excellent fighter; that can’t be debated. What can be debated, however, are his chances in the light heavyweight division. Many of the relative advantages he had against heavyweights (speed, pacing, cardio) have been nullified at light heavyweight. His wins have been over a green Patrick Cummins and a Dan Henderson in the twilight of his career. Cormier will struggle with Johnson’s power and have a hard time finishing takedowns. As long as Johnson doesn’t gas himself out looking for the finish, he take the unanimous decision.

Although he picked Johnson, Downes touched on something of a concern late in his prediction. Cormier is quick enough to avoid most of the devastating blows from Rumble, which could wear on the powerful puncher both mentally and physically.

Footwork is the worst enemy of a power striker, and that is exactly what DC presents.

That speed and footwork will still be there in the later stages of the fight, which will help Cormier seize control near the end. He also doesn’t sound particularly intimidated by Johnson’s power, per Michael Martinez of UFC.com:

When I watch Rumble Johnson, he’s a bully. He bullies guys. He makes them go backward, and he traps them. I’m not going to allow that. If he tries to bully me, I’ll stand right in front of him, and if he hits me, I’ll hit him right back. And then we’ll see how the bully handles it when nobody is going to run away from him.

That confidence will be rewarded Saturday.

Cormier will dictate the tempo after avoiding Rumble’s power and ultimately seize the wrestling opportunities as they arise. Between that tactical skill on the mat, the impressive speed and the necessary ability to avoid the most powerful punches from Johnson, DC will walk away with the light heavyweight title.

Prediction: Cormier over Johnson by unanimous decision

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Johnson vs. Cormier: Final Predictions and Odds Before Start of UFC 187

Not even the loss of former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones could keep UFC 187 from having a must-see main event.
While “Bones” deals with personal demons, both Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier will have a chance to become just the 12th pe…

Not even the loss of former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones could keep UFC 187 from having a must-see main event.

While “Bones” deals with personal demons, both Anthony Johnson and Daniel Cormier will have a chance to become just the 12th person to hold the belt at 205 pounds.

Given both of their aggressive styles, the fight could end up being much more exciting than the original matchup of Jones vs. Johnson. Rumble—with his one-strike knockout power—and Cormier—with his incredible explosiveness and wrestling—have just enough contrast in their styles to put on a show that will break in a new era of the light heavyweight division.

Here’s the latest odds and information surrounding the fight, along with a prediction as to who will be the latest addition to the fraternity of UFC champions.

Odds via Odds Shark as of May 22 at 9:15 p.m. ET.

Cormier Will Lean on Wrestling Early

If Cormier wants to win this fight, he’ll need to have a strong start. Rumble has proved in his last two fights that he can take advantage of opponents who let him get into a rhythm early. His first-round demolition of Alexander Gustafsson was a perfect example.

As seen in the video below, Gustafsson allowed Johnson to stalk him from the outset, and it didn’t take long for him to take capitalize. That’s where Rumble’s power is most dangerous.

By contrast, Cormier will look to be the aggressor. It’s no secret that the former Olympic wrestler has the advantage in the clinch, and he would be wise to make Rumble carry his weight early in the fight.

“Everybody is talking about Anthony Johnson’s power,” Cormier said, according to Michael Martinez of UFC.com. “Where is everything else? When you break me down, you talk about my power, but you also talk about my wrestling. You talk about my grappling. You talk about my ability to go forward and fight. There’s layers.”

Against Dan Henderson, Cormier displayed his ability to take control of a bout early on with his wrestling. At this point, Hendo is a poor man’s version of Johnson, but the point remains.

If Cormier can pin Johnson against the cage or even score an early takedown, he will steal the most important round of the fight for Rumble. Cormier will gain an advantage the deeper this fight goes into its allotted five rounds.

Cormier Will Show His Striking Is On-Par with Johnson

Upon first glance, it might appear that this matchup is a classic striker vs. grappler affair. It’s not.

Johnson has a clear advantage in power. He hits like a Mack truck and can end a fight in the blink of an eye. But in terms of pure striking, Cormier is his equal both offensively and defensively, according to the stats. Here’s a look at how the two match up in the striking department, via FightMetric:

Once Cormier saps some of Johnson’s power early with his wrestling, the playing field on the feet should even out. When that happens, it could be Cormier who gets the better of the exchanges.

And that should signal the beginning of the end.

Cormier Takes the Title Late

Johnson’s best chance to win this fight lies in connecting early and often with his powerful striking. The more this becomes a full-on MMA match with clinch work and wrestling, the more it favors Cormier.

Even in a fight that he clearly lost, Cormier was able to pick up Jones and dump him on the mat in the fifth and final round. That’s a testament to his heart and conditioning. When picking this fight, it’s hard to disagree with UFC middleweight Luke Rockhold, who is calling for a late stoppage win for DC, per UFC on Fox:

As long as Cormier can survive the first two rounds without taking too many shots from Johnson, this fight is his for the taking. While Johnson’s power is no doubt something to consider, Cormier has power of his own that Rumble has to respect and a diversified game that allows him to attack in the clinch, on the ground and standing up.

Expect Cormier to take the title in a thrilling fight that shows he’s worthy of being the new face of the light heavyweight division.

Prediction: Cormier via fifth-round TKO

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UFC 187 Start Time: Full Card, TV Info, Live Stream, Johnson vs. Cormier Picks

Even sans Jon Jones, UFC’s desire to pump out loaded cards saves Saturday’s UFC 187 and makes it a can’t-miss affair. There’s a lot of bad blood between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort after lengthy delays. The former wants to prove he’s a deserv…

Even sans Jon Jones, UFC’s desire to pump out loaded cards saves Saturday’s UFC 187 and makes it a can’t-miss affair.

There’s a lot of bad blood between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort after lengthy delays. The former wants to prove he’s a deserving champion, and the latter wants to prove age doesn’t matter.

Even the preliminaries offer a little bit of something for everyone, although the event’s headlining act shoulders most of the responsibility.

There, Anthony Johnson against Daniel Cormier is as 50-50 as it gets in a bout capable of ascending only one man’s career.

Here’s the info to know.

UFC 187 Fight Card

Breaking Down Johnson vs. Cormier

As they say, this is for all the marbles.

With Jones out of the picture thanks to a legal situation, the light heavyweight division is wide open.

Interestingly enough, Cormier just took a loss at the hands of Jones via unanimous decision in January, but now finds himself right back in a position to sit in the division’s top spot.

As David Kano points out, though, the underdog with a second chance isn’t the crowd favorite by any means:

Anthony Johnson, on the other hand, is another name capable of rising to the top with Jones on the sidelines.

He’s emerged as one of the promotion’s deadliest strikers, riding a three-fight streak topped off by January’s Round 1 technical knockout of Alexander Gustafsson.

It’s no secret Johnson will come out swinging early and often, but don’t expect it to come in a reckless manner. As he told UFC.com’s Michael Martinez, he understands how dangerous an opponent on a second chance such as Cormier can be:

I’m going to have to push myself a lot harder. He’s going to come and bring it. This is his second opportunity. He missed out on it once and he knows that he’s blessed and fortunate to have a second opportunity after the situation that occurred with Jon Jones.

He’s hungry, man. But the thing is, I’m hungry too, and that’s going to make for a great fight.

There’s an epic, desperation slugfest in the making here.

Johnson receives all the credit as a big hitter, but keep in mind Cormier is much of the same. Over at UFC.com, Johnson averages 3.3 significant strikes landed per minute. Cormier averages 3.78. Johnson lands 45.5 percent of them. Cormier, 48 percent.

After a strong performance against Jones, look for Cormier to outlast Johnson with a higher connection rate.

Prediction: Cormier via split decision.

Breaking Down Weidman vs. Belfort

Folks know the deal with Weidman and Belfort.

Belfort features a massive chip on his shoulder at 38 years of age after a suspension that helped to push this fight back by about a year.

So too does Weidman, though, as he looks to convince the globe he’s a deserving champion. So it goes for a guy who managed two victories against Anderson Silva before a dominant performance against Lyoto Machida.

Want bad blood? This fight has plenty, as Weidman takes exception to circumstances surrounding Belfort. ESPN offers a glimpse:

This one classifies as a war of contrasting styles, even if it has been quite a while since Belfort’s entered the Octagon. He’s a dangerous striker who ran through Michael Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson before the aforementioned issues.

It contrasts well with the well-known technical dominance of Weidman, who at UFC.com averages 3.69 takedowns and defends 100 percent of them, whereas Belfort only defends 51 percent of the attempts thrown his way.

There’s the divide in what should be an epic matchup—barring a stunning knockout by Belfort early, Weidman touts the strengths in the right areas to end the fight on the mat.

Prediction: Weidman via submission.

Stats and information via UFC.com unless otherwise specified.

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UFC 187 Weidman vs. Belfort: Round-by-Round Recap and Analysis

It took a good, long while, but Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort is finally going to happen Saturday at UFC 187. The match has faced setback after setback—in the form of both Weidman injuries and a Belfort drug-testing kerfuffle, bu…

Neither man is a particularly big fan of the other. Weidman has long been making waves regarding Belfort‘s controversial use of testosterone replacement therapy and got into it with the challenger Friday night at the weigh-ins, calling him “a cheater.” Belfort has barbed Weidman, blaming him for his recent inactivity and discussing his desire for a bout with Yoel Romero for the vacant middleweight belt, should the UFC strip Weidman due to inactivity.

Now, of course, they get to schedule that in the cage.

Circle back here during the fight for our live round-by-round recap and analysis of the fight, and watch out for Bleacher Report’s full coverage of the UFC 187 card.

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Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort: Final Predictions and Odds Before UFC 187

It will be a classic, intergenerational showdown in the co-main event of UFC 187 Saturday night in Las Vegas, when middleweight champion Chris Weidman defends the belt against veteran Vitor Belfort. Belfort is a true legend of the sport, and his …

Weidman, meanwhile, has been assembling a legendary career of his own. So far undefeated, he exploded into the limelight in July 2013 when he knocked out Anderson Silva, one of the most dominant champions in UFC history.

Weidman is arguably the hottest fighter in the sport right now. He’s a former All-American wrestler with basic, but extremely effective, striking and dangerous submissions.

Weidman has victories over outstanding wrestlers like Mark Munoz and top strikers like Silva and Lyoto Machida. In beating Demian Maia, he handled arguably the best pure BJJ fighter in the UFC.

Weidman’s youth, size and well-rounded game have made him a justifiable favorite for this bout. According to Odds Shark, Weidman is anywhere from a -375 to -500 favorite. Belfort is an underdog of between +310 and +375.

There will definitely be bettors interested in taking Belfort at those odds. He’s one of the biggest names in the sport’s history for a reason.

Belfort was the UFC’s original phenom, exploding onto the scene at just 18. He was an all-action, knockout machine.

In his UFC debut in 1997, he knocked out both Tra Telligman and Scott Ferrozzo, in a combined two minutes and 10 seconds. A few months later he stopped Tank Abbott in less than a minute.

Those are performances that longtime fans have never forgotten. And you don’t have to dig into ancient history to find examples of Belfort laying a path of destruction. His three most recent fights were sensational stoppages of Mike Bisping, Luke Rockhold and Dan Henderson.

Belfort’s sudden power makes him a threat in any fight he enters. The memories of Belfort winning in a hurry no doubt contributed to UFC featherweight Jose Aldo’s prediction with Portal do Vale Tudo that his countryman would win in the first or second round.

“Vitor is a phenom,” said Aldo, stating what has been obvious for nearly 20 years now.

A potential opponent for the winner, Ronaldo Jacare focused more on the two fighters as they are right now when he picked Weidman to win for Globo Esporte, noting that the younger champion is at “a better stage” in his career.

Belfort’s dangerous striking can never be discounted, but it’s tough to see him winning this fight in any manner besides an early stoppage. Weidman is younger, bigger and stronger than Belfort, and his high-level wrestling will allow him to control the terrain of the battle.

Even though Weidman is only a brown belt to Belfort’s black, I’d still give the Renzo Gracie student an edge when it comes to the submission game, due to his much stronger wrestling.

Weidman has a lot in common with one of Belfort’s toughest past opponents, Randy Couture. He’s a powerful wrestler who has learned to strike very effectively in an MMA bout.

I see Weidman using his wrestling to force a lot of clinches in the early rounds, neutralizing Belfort’s ability to get off with dangerous punches or kicks. By the second half of the fight, he will have the older man fatigued, allowing him to win by TKO or choke in Round 4.

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Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier: Keys to Victory for Each Fighter at UFC 187

For the first time in over five years, there will be a UFC light heavyweight title fight that does not involve Jon Jones, as Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson meet for the vacant 205-pound belt Saturday night in Las Vegas. Cormier already lost to Jone…

But Jones was stripped of the title following a hit-and-run accident in late April, and Cormier was given this second chance against the surging Johnson. With Jones out of the picture, this event lacks some of the star power it might otherwise have had. Nevertheless, it is a matchup between two of the division’s elite fighters.

The keys to victory for both fighters follow:

Cormier must use wrestling to control where the fight happens and to rough Johnson up

Cormier is perhaps the most decorated wrestler in the UFC. He was a two-time, undefeated national champion at the junior college level and reached the NCAA finals his senior year in college, only to lose to the legendary Cal Sanderson.

Beyond that, he was the U.S. national freestyle champion for most of the first decade of this century and was named captain of the 2008 Olympic team. He won a world title at the cadet level in high school.

Amateur wrestling styles do not always translate perfectly into MMA, where striking is added to the equation. But Cormier has scored highlight-reel takedowns against some very good MMA wrestlers during his career, including Josh Barnett and fellow Olympian Dan Henderson.

Johnson is a strong wrestler in his own right. He was also a National Junior College champ.

But the wrestling advantage is decisively in Cormier’s favor. That gives him a tremendous tactical edge.

Johnson has dangerous punching power, but the best way to remove that kind of threat in MMA is to use wrestling. Cormier should be able to use his wrestling to consistently put Johnson on his back or against the cage, where Johnson’s slugging prowess will be rendered irrelevant.

But Cormier can’t be satisfied merely to pin Johnson against the cage or lie on top of him. When he gets in those dominant positions, he’s got to put some hurt on Johnson. In the clinch, against the cage, he has to control Johnson’s center line, so he can use dirty boxing to land uppercuts and short hooks.

When he gets on top of Johnson, he’s got to stay busy as well, or risk having the fight stood back up. Cormier needs to use forearms, hammerfists and knees to the torso to soften Johnson up and open up a possible route to the submission.

Losing a one-sided fight to Jones in January had to be very disappointing for Cormier, so it’s important in this fight that he avoids letting his emotions take control of him, which could lead him to unnecessarily dangerous exchanges.

Cormier has legitimate punching power and credible striking. But it’s always a risk that an MMA fighter will fall in love with whatever his newest talent is, due to the quick progress he is making in that area. For Cormier, a wild exchange with Johnson is the riskiest place he can be.

So Cormier needs to rely on his base and embrace the grind in this fight

Cormier’s wrestling should mean he spends the majority of the fight in a dominant position. So the longer the fight lasts, the more likely he is to win.

For Johnson, the most important thing in the fight will be to keep it standing

To my eyes, one of the most comparable fighters to Johnson is former light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. Like Liddell, Johnson is an explosive striker, but with a strong college wrestling background that allows him to use wrestling defensively, to keep a fight standing.

Johnson has to stuff Cormier’s takedowns. But beyond that, he needs to do it in a way that allows him to make enough space to aggressively counterstrike.

Johnson has the skills to win that kind of fight, as he demonstrated against Phil Davis, another elite amateur wrestler. Still, Cormier is a better wrestler and a bigger banger than Davis. Against Cormier, Johnson has to be wary of getting caught by a big shot in return.

While Johnson needs to be looking for a fight-ending punch or kick, he’s got to be careful about overcommitting to a wild strike. He has to be tactical with his striking and look for punches and kicks that will land at a high percentage.

A wild swing and miss against Cormier is all that the former Olympian will need to land a brutal takedown. If Johnson misses with a punch and leaves an entire side of his body expose to Cormier, he will go for a ride and land with a heavy thud.

There are more tactical advantages for Cormier in this fight, but Johnson has the sort of explosive power that can end things extremely quickly. This fight won’t be a non-stop slugfest. Both men are too heavy-fisted for that.

Expect moments of strategic chess-playing in this fight. But there is also a lot of potential for things to end in an explosive hurry.

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