UFC 187 Preview: Two Title Fights, Nine Top-5 Fighters, Weidman Vs. Belfort, Cormier Vs. Johnson
UFC 187 is one of the most stacked UFC cards in history. That's putting it lightly. After losing a top-ranked fighter and a champion, the show is still loaded, featuring two championship fights, and no less than nine top-5 ranked fighters. In addition to that, there are three top-10 fighters on the Fox Sports 1 prelims.
The night is headlined by Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, to fill the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight title slot left by suspended champion Jon "Bones" Jones. Former heavyweight Cormier will square off with former welterweight Johnson in a bona fide main event.
Cormier is the early favorite, as his wrestling has been touched only by that of Jones'. Outside of a loss to the surging Vitor Belfort, Johnson has only been defeated in bouts in which blatant eye pokes occur since 2007. The power punching of Johnson is a unique facet to this fight, as his defensive wrestling has improved leaps and bounds since his original UFC run. Cormier himself has plenty of power as well, and this fight is truly among the most intriguing of the year.
The night's co-main event would easily serve as a headliner on any other card. Chris Weidman will defend his UFC Middleweight Championship against controversial middleweight Vitor Belfort. After failing a drug test in 2014 and being forced off of testosterone replacement therapy, this will be Belfort's first fight in a year and a half, taking on the All-American Weidman.
It's difficult to predict how the content of this bout will look, as Belfort has yet to compete since the TRT ban, and Weidman has been out of action since last July. Both have incredible knockout power, but Weidman's wrestling is absolutely smothering. Weidman also recently received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, although that always isn't necessarily a good indication of one's talent on the ground in comparison to an opponent.
There are also several championship hopefuls featured as well. Donald Cerrone was originally set to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov in a title eliminator bout, but after Nurmagomedov's knee injury, Cerrone looks to lay waste to replacement John Makdessi. A victory would likely land Cerrone a lightweight championship fight against Rafael dos Anjos this fall.
John Dodson and Travis Browne are both hoping for wins to launch them into the Flyweight and Heavyweight championship pictures respectively. If that wasn't enough, former title challenger Joseph Benavidez and former champion Andrei Arlovski are also on the show, rounding out one of the deepest shows UFC has ever put together. What are your predictions for the show? Also, don't forget to join us here on Wrestling Inc tonight as we provide live coverage.