One of the biggest cards of the year goes down this weekend at UFC 187 as two titles will be decided when Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Daniel Cormier meet for the light heavyweight title while Chris Weidman finally faces Vitor Belfort in a middleweight championship bout two years in the making.
Johnson and Cormier will fight for the vacant light heavyweight title following Jon Jones being stripped of the belt after his recent arrest. The division is ready to move forward, however, and with Johnson and Cormier both just itching to wear that belt, this should be a title fight for the ages.
After multiple delays and cancellations, Weidman and Belfort will also face off at UFC 187. Weidman will look for his third straight title defense while Belfort tries to bring his career full circle while adding yet another title to his already impressive record.
To gear up for a blockbuster card this weekend, FOX UFC analyst Dominick Cruz stopped by to break down some of the key matchups, as we give you five good reasons to watch UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier. And tune in to watch the prelims on FOX Sports 1 starting at 8 p.m. ET.
Two Title Fights Sells Itself
It’s definitely a treat whenever any card has two title fights, but UFC 187 is even bigger. The championships up for grabs this time feature two of the most prominent divisions in the entire sport.
A new light heavyweight champion will be crowned for the first time in more than four years as Johnson takes on Cormier.
The middleweight division also will settle a long-standing feud on Saturday night when Weidman looks to build on his already impressive run as champion against future UFC Hall of Famer Vitor Belfort.
It’s actually been almost 13 years since these two particular titles were defended on the same card. At UFC 33 in September 2001, Dave Menne defeated Gil Castillo for the middleweight title while Tito Ortiz defended his light heavyweight belt against Vladimir Matyushenko.
So this is definitely a rare moment in the sport.
“This is just as big as that card where we saw Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, that card that I was supposed to be on with Urijah Faber beating him up? Yeah that card,” Cruz said when referencing UFC 148 in 2012. “This is up there with that. This is one card that’s just jam-packed with studs.”
A New Champion Will Be Crowned
In the wake of Jones being stripped of his UFC light heavyweight title, Cormier and Johnson will battle it out, with only one man left standing holding the gold when the night is over.
For Cormier this is his second chance at winning the belt in the past six months after dropping a unanimous decision to Jones in January. Cormier has stated on several occasions how it’s been his dream to be a champion since he was just a kid starting out in wrestling and opportunities like these don’t come around everyday.
Meanwhile this fight is a seminal moment in Johnson’s career after he was unceremoniously bounced from the UFC after several weight cutting disasters kept him from fighting at both welterweight and middleweight. Now he’s back with the ultimate chance of redemption.
And when it’s all said and done, either Cormier or Johnson will walk out with the UFC light heavyweight title. There’s no interim belt up for grabs, and as much as Jones has meant to this division for the past few years, whoever wins on Saturday night is the real champion without a question, according to the former UFC bantamweight king.
“DC has a bad taste in his mouth after that last fight. This is like a dream come true for this guy,” Cruz said about the fight. “I know DC well and he trains hard and he wants to be the best and now he has the chance to almost get a second try after his failed attempt last time against Jon Jones. Jones beat him fair and square but I take nothing away from Daniel Cormier or Anthony Johnson.
“Whoever wins this fight is going to be the champion. Part of being a champion is all the obligations and staying out of trouble as well. It’s just part of it.”
It’s Finally Happening!
Weidman and Belfort have been on a collision course for nearly two years already after multiple cancellations and delays caused their fight to constantly get pushed back.
Belfort actually has been out of action since 2013 waiting for this fight, but it’s hard to forget what he did to get here. Belfort scorched through the middleweight division to earn his title show with knockouts over Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping.
Belfort also tore through Johnson and Yoshihiro Akiyama at 185 pounds and came close to winning the light heavyweight title against Jones in a fight he took on extremely short notice back in 2012.
As for Weidman, he’s managed to build on an already impressive legacy after beating former middleweight champion Anderson Silva on two occasions. He also took out former light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida in his last fight and now Weidman looks to add another legend onto his championship record.
Considering the long road Weidman and Belfort had to travel to get here, Cruz believes this fight is huge for a number of reasons but he knows for a fact the two fighters involved have immense pressure on them to deliver.
“I don’t see this losing any validity to this fight because we’ve been waiting. This is a very important fight for both guys because of all the injuries they’ve suffered. I know how that is. It’s the worst!” Cruz said. “Then you’re dealing with that mentally coming into this fight thinking ‘I’ve got to stay healthy’. It’s just a lot of extra pressure and then you’re dealing with the magnitude of this fight card. I’m glad it’s finally going through.”
Heavyweight Hitters
Another featured bout on the UFC 187 main card pits former teammates Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski against each other in a fight that could push one of the contenders into a title fight before very long.
Arlovski has enjoyed a career resurrection as he returned to the UFC in 2014 after six years spent outside the promotion. The former heavyweight champion has won his past four fights, including a huge knockout victory over former title contender Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva last September.
Browne has been a winner in four of his past five fights, with knockouts in all four victories. The 6-foot-7 Hawaiian is considered one of the most powerful strikers in the entire division with seven first-round finishes on his record since joining the UFC.
Cruz knows Browne could be a viable contender for the heavyweight title if he performs the way he’s capable of, but Arlovski is a veteran with a ton of championship experience, so this is definitely a test to see which of these fighters really wants to get back in that title hunt.
“Travis has been looking hit-and-miss in some of his fights and this is one of those fights that can shut that down. He beats a guy like Arlovski, it’s big for him,” Cruz said. “This is something for him that I know he takes it very serious and puts this as a personal challenge for his career. I know Travis has been watching MMA longer than me and we watched Andrei Arlovski come up in this sport and look pretty scary and really amazing at times.
“So for Travis to fight this guy at this point in his career, I know he’s nothing but excited, and I think we’re going to see the best Travis. We’re going to see a great fight.”
Time for the Little Guys to Shine
It’s no secret that the UFC flyweight division has struggled to gain mainstream acceptance amongst fans, but this weekend at UFC 187 will grant the weight class two marquee matchups with a real chance to steal the show.
John Dodson is back after nearly a year out of the sport dealing with a knee injury as he faces Zach Makovsky while perennial contender Joseph Benavidez squares off with John Moraga in another key bout at 125 pounds.
Cruz lived through the growing pains of watching the bantamweight division finally gain a foothold in the industry and he says the same thing can happen for the flyweights if the right fighters start performing the way he knows is possible.
The two fights taking place on Saturday at UFC 187 are prime examples of that opportunity.
“It is an important night for the flyweights. The flyweights need more stars and they need more stars in that division to step up and be exciting and if there’s two fights that can do that, it’s these two matchups to bring out their stars,” Cruz said.
“They can really set the bar for exciting stars in the flyweight division.”