Making the Grade: Passes/Fails from UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier
UFC 187 might go down as the best event of the entire year after a star-studded affair with two title fights, including a new light heavyweight champion being crowned in the main event.
With Jon Jones on indefinite suspension, Daniel Cormier choked out Anthony Johnson to win the vacant title at 205 pounds, fulfilling a lifelong dream of being a champion.
Middleweight champ Chris Weidman further solidified his reign with a first-round trouncing of Brazilian legend Vitor Belfort.
But the results are already out there. Here we like to dig a little deeper into the card to see what passed, what failed, and if there was an epic fail to be had.
This is making the grade for UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier.
PASSES
Daniel Cormier Drops the Mic
Following an incredible fight where he toppled Anthony Johnson by rear naked choke in the third round, Daniel Cormier was finally crowned UFC light heavyweight champion. It was the culmination of an athletic career that has spanned nearly two decades as Cormier finally took home the title as best fighter in the world.
But as much as Cormier knows he's the reigning champion in the division, he's not forgetting that there's still a man named Jon Jones looming in the shadows that will certainly cast some level of doubt over his newly won belt.
Jones beat Cormier back in early January, but ended up defeating himself just a few weeks ago when he was arrested on felony hit-and-run charges in New Mexico.
Cormier didn't want to say a word about Jones during fight week, but as soon as that title was wrapped around his waist, he immediately took aim at his old rival, who undoubtedly got the message.
"Joe Rogan, no disrespect to you or the 16,000 people in this arena. But I have a message for one man -- Jon Jones, get your s--t together. I'm waiting for you!"
At this point, assuming Jones comes back to the UFC after facing the potential felony charges that are still pending, it could set up one of the biggest rematches in the history of the sport with Cormier.
Greatest Single Round in Heavyweight History
Andrei Arlovski had to get it done quick against Travis Browne ... and he delivered.
Andrei Arlovski walked into the MGM Grand Garden Arena as a decided underdog to former teammate Travis Browne, but when the night was over the former UFC champion was standing tall after putting on one of the most outstanding performances the heavyweight division has ever seen.
Arlovski charged at Browne as soon as the fight started and begin pummeling the 6-foot-7 tall Hawaiian with big looping punches that stunned him right away. Browne did a good job of recovering and pushing Arlovski away to stave off the pressure, but the Belarus native wasn't about to back down.
Following a few big exchanges, Arlovski began flurrying with punches again, but Browne countered with one massive right hand that knocked him down to the mat, and in a moment's notice it appeared the momentum had shifted dramatically.
To his credit, Arlovski composed himself while Browne was still rattled and couldn't take full advantage of the knockdown as he got back to his feet. Seconds later, Arlovski unloaded another huge uppercut that snapped Browne's head back like a rubber band, and as he wobbled against the cage it was clear he wasn't going to come back this time.
Another punch or two followed and the referee swooped in to stop the fight after a frenetic pace turned the first round into one of the best back-and-forth battles in the history of the sport. The craziest part about all of this was the fact that Arlovski's aggression wasn't because he saw an opening in Browne's defense that he felt he could expose or that he just wanted to overwhelm him in the first few minutes of the fight.
Just a week out from the bout, Arlovski suffered a severe calf injury that nearly forced him to pull out of the fight, so with a bum leg, the former heavyweight champion knew that hitting the stool at the end of the first round would only tighten up his muscles and potentially cause him to lose the fight. So Arlovski went out with one mission in mind -- finish Browne early because he may not make it to round two.
And it worked to perfection.
Anthony Johnson's Inspirational Speech
Despite the loss, Anthony Johnson's comeback to the top of UFC is amazing.
A lot was made about Anthony Johnson's incredible career comeback after getting bounced from the UFC a few years ago following a slew of weight-cutting mishaps that saw him come in several pounds over the limit on numerous occasions. Johnson had to go fight in other promotions to prove himself before the UFC would bring him back, and that's exactly what he did.
Six wins later, Johnson got the call to return to the UFC where he reeled off three straight victories including a first-round finish over former No. 1 contender Alexander Gustafsson. All of that hard work earned Johnson the shot at the belt on Saturday night and while he came up short in the end, it didn't stop the Blackzilian fighter from reminding everybody what is possible if you never give up on yourself.
"Tonight, I might have lost, but the one thing I want you guys to remember is that you should never give up," Johnson said. "Like I said before, I was pushed down to the bottom and I worked my way up to the top. I want you all to know no matter what comes your way in life, never give up. Keep pushing. Cause nothing can stop you but you."
Despite the loss to Cormier on Saturday, Johnson probably isn't more than a fight or two from earning a rematch given his performance, but when his career is finally over, the former welterweight turned light heavyweight wrecking machine might want to consider a second job as a motivational speaker.
Everything About UFC 187
There was so much to like about this show it almost seems unfair to just pick out a few moments to single out as the best of the best from UFC 187. A few of our favorites:
*Daniel Cormier finally winning gold.
*Anthony Johnson's incredible career comeback.
*Chris Weidman answering all the doubters and silencing Vitor Belfort in the first round.
*Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone punching his ticket to a title shot later this year.
*Joseph Benavidez and John Moraga putting on a stellar bout to kick off the main card.
From the presentation of the show to the performances, UFC 187 will definitely go down as one of the best cards of all 2015 and maybe one of the best shows ever. There wasn't much not to like, although there were a couple of things worth pointing out ...
FAILS
Daniel Cormier Press Conferences
Ryan Bader didn't appreciate Daniel Cormier's post-fight comments.
This isn't a fail so much as a "are you kidding me, not again!" observation.
Daniel Cormier barely allowed himself a second to celebrate victory before he was already taking aim at his likely next opponent, Ryan Bader.
Cormier and Bader were supposed to fight in New Orleans in two weeks, but the fight was scrapped when UFC 187 needed a new main event following Jon Jones' suspension. Bader wasn't very pleased that he got passed over for a title shot considering Cormier lost to Jones in his last fight in January and he was quite vocal about his displeasure.
So Cormier fired off a few warning shots in Bader's direction at the UFC 187 post-fight press conference -- and Bader just happened to be in the back of the room.
A few seconds later, Bader is charging the dais ready to give the media and teams in attendance an extra fight right then and there. Cooler heads eventually prevailed, but Cormier and press conferences are apparently like mixing fire and gasoline.
Add to the fact that UFC vice president of public relations Dave Sholler was leading the press conference -- just like he did last August when Cormier and Jones erupted into a full-on brawl in the middle of the MGM Grand (the same arena where last night's event was held) and it's just a clear sign that Cormier should probably do his press conferences alone without anybody else in the room, just to be safe.
Then again, without those legendary Cormier press conferences we wouldn't get moments like these.
EPIC FAIL
Hey, Kids, It's Henry Cejudo!
— Dann Stupp (@DannStupp) May 24, 2015
Accidents happen all the time, so it's not the worst thing in the world that somebody in the UFC's production truck happened to get two fighters' pictures mixed up, but it doesn't help matters much when one of them isn't even on the card!
John Moraga was facing Joseph Benavidez in the opening fight on the main card for the UFC 187 pay-per-view last night, except when the "tale of the tape" graphic came up, the guy on the right side looked suspiciously like Henry Cejudo.
Maybe it's a UFC mind game that they hope to make Benavidez vs. Cejudo next, but whatever the case, poor John Moraga couldn't even get his picture shown before he fought.
How about when Cejudo fights next month at UFC 188 they show Moraga's face instead as payback?
