This Day in MMA History: UFC 187 ‘Cormier vs. Johnson’

One of Jon Jones’ many run-ins with the law led to his being stripped of the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown and resulted in a makeshift UFC 187 main event pitting Daniel Cormier against Anthony Johnson for the vacant title on May 23, 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It all happened 10 years ago today.

Johnson entered the Octagon as a slight underdog and gave his counterpart reason for pause. He floored Cormier with a searing right hand in the first round and cracked him with multiple head kicks, only to see the American Kickboxing Academy export walk through his best shots. “DC” took control with a dominant Round 2, where he grounded Johnson and tore into him with punches and elbows from the top. Battered and bloodied, “Rumble” returned to his corner a shell of his former self. Cormier offered him no respite in the third round, as he again drove Johnson to the canvas, slid to his back and cinched the rear-naked choke for the tapout. The end came 2:39 into Round 3. It made Cormier a UFC champion for the first time.

In the co-headliner, Chris Weidman weathered an early power punching volley from Vitor Belfort to put away “The Phenom” with first-round ground-and-pound from full mount and retain the undisputed middleweight title. Weidman drew the curtain 2:53 into Round 1, moving his record to a perfect 13-0.

Belfort uncorked a burst of vicious lefts and rights, first at a distance and then in close quarters, and cut the champion on his left brow. His efforts were not enough. Weidman covered up, withstood the onslaught and resumed stalking the Brazilian. The Serra-Longo Fight Team centerpiece then swooped in four a double-leg takedown, settled briefly in half guard and advanced to full mount. Elbows, punches and hammerfists fell next and with increasing intensity. Sensing the dire nature of his situation, Belfort yielded his back for a moment before allowing the “All-American” to return to the mount. Unable to free himself, he turned away from the blows, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in on his behalf.

A decade later, none of the four participants at the top of the UFC 187 bill are active members of the Ultimate Fighting Championship roster.

Cormier, 46, was inducted into the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022 and finds himself in the broadcast booth as an analyst on a regular basis. The uber-talented but always enigmatic Johnson tragically died on Nov. 13, 2022 at the age of 38. The 40-year-old Weidman, meanwhile, won just three of his next 11 bouts and parted ways with the UFC in January. Belfort, 48, retired in 2018 following a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida and dabbled in boxing. He will be enshrined in the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame on June 26.