UFC 187: Keys to Victory for Johnson, Cormier, Weidman and Belfort
UFC 187 will feature four of the most dominant fighters in the world. Anthony Johnson, Daniel Cormier, Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort will compete in the main and co-main event, respectively. Johnson and Cormier will do battle to lay claim to the vacant light heavyweight title, while the long-awaited matchup between Weidman and Belfort serves as an explosive, unpredictable middleweight championship bout.
Anthony Johnson vs. Daniel Cormier
Despite the way in which the light heavyweight championship became vacant (the stripping of Jon Jones' title after he was involved in a hit-and-run incident), many think the new main event will live up to expectations. In fact, Johnson believes Cormier presents a greater challenge than the former 205-pound champion Jones.
Per Mike Bohn and John Morgan of MMAjunkie, Johnson stated:
"I really mean (this is a tougher fight). This is DC’s second chance. When people get second chances, they tend to go a little bit harder. He's going to come at me like a bulldog and I expect that. The fact that I expect it means it won't surprise me with anything he brings. I know what I'm getting myself into and so does he.
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In light of Johnson's comments, there's no doubt Cormier will be “hungry” in his second attempt to secure gold.
Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort
The Weidman-Belfort matchup is highly anticipated in the world of mixed martial arts. The middleweight champion, Weidman, stands without a loss (12-0) and defeated one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time in Anderson Silva (twice). Weidman is motivated to remain undefeated, and according to MMA Weekly, he has expressed interest in setting himself apart from the rest of the division:
"My goal every time is to separate myself in the division and make a statement for the world, prove to myself where I think my abilities are, prove to my coaches what they think. So, I'm coming to this fight to make a statement. I'm doing this fight to look for a finish.
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However, Belfort, with over 19 years of MMA experience, brings a wealth of knowledge to the Octagon and is 10-2 in his last 12 matchups (only having lost to then-champions Silva and Jones). He is a formidable opponent, and at 38 years old, the Brazilian fighter may be looking at his final championship title opportunity at UFC 187.
The following highlights each fighter's keys to victory in their attempt to secure or maintain championship gold this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Anthony Johnson
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Anthony Johnson's power represents a significant factor in his path to victory at UFC 187. He is on a three-fight winning streak, and out of his last nine wins he's knocked out six of those opponents. Overall, the UFC's No. 1 light heavyweight contender boasts a knockout rate of almost 70 percent. In stunning fashion, he has toppled the likes of MMA veterans Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
If Johnson is able to utilize his power effectively in the earlier rounds, he may be able to overwhelm his smaller opponent, Daniel Cormier, and obtain his first UFC belt.
Even if the fight heads into the later rounds, Johnson believes he is capable of weathering the storm. According to Bohn and Morgan of MMAjunkie, he stated:
"People haven't had the chance to see everything I have to offer; I've just been knocking people out, and you can't show everything when you're knocking people out. If somebody wants to wrestle with me, that's fine. If somebody wants to do jiu-jitsu with me, that's fine too. At this point in my career I'm able to handle myself in every category.
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In his bout with Cormier, Johnson may need to do just that, as Cormier is a former Olympic wrestler who may choose to exploit Johnson's questionable ground game.
Daniel Cormier
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Daniel Cormier is an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and a former freestyle Olympic team captain. The 36-year-old's wrestling background speaks volumes and may help him take advantage of his opponent's deficiencies.
Anthony Johnson has a history of losing on the ground, as 75 percent of his losses have come by way of submission. In fact, in a recent interview, Cormier mocked Johnson's losing efforts on the ground. Per Raimundo Ortiz of Sports World News, he stated, "At the core of Anthony Johnson, Anthony's the guy who got submitted by Josh Koscheck. Anthony's the guy that tapped out before Vitor Belfort got the choke in.”
If Cormier is able to turn this matchup into one that depends heavily on grappling, he may be able to secure the light heavyweight title.
Chris Weidman
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Chris Weidman's power and superb wrestling background represent his principal keys to victory. He is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler and has used these skills to control many of his opponents on the ground, as he did against Anderson Silva during Round 1 of their first matchup.
He is a talented athlete whose physical gifts extend to his stand-up game.
Weidman sports heavy hands and has knocked out the likes of Mark Munoz, Uriah Hall and the middleweight division’s former multiyear champion, Silva. If Weidman is able to utilize his wrestling game to control the wily, explosive Vitor Belfort, he'll retain the title at UFC 187.
After becoming the middleweight champion, the New York native has created new goals for himself.
According to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Weidman stated: "I want to be one of the greatest of all time. I want to retire undefeated and I want to completely dominate my weight class. Those are my new goals."
Weidman will, in fact, move one step closer to that goal with a dominant victory over another former champion and longtime MMA veteran in Belfort.
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Vitor Belfort
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Belfort's explosiveness, power and MMA experience unite for a lethal combination that could allow the 38-year-old Brazilian to attain championship gold once more.
He has faced name opponents all over the world throughout his career and has defeated Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping, Anthony Johnson, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and even former world champions Dan Henderson, Rich Franklin, Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva.
Belfort has the tendency to explode on his opponents upon hurting them, giving way to his unparalleled knockout reel. In addition, his knowledge of the fight game is vast.
Per Mike Sloan of Sherdog, Belfort stated:
"I've just been training and keeping my mind focused on what I can do. I wasn't worried about what I couldn't do and I've been evolving every day. … How many guys from my era are still around? ... I've been doing this for so long; 19 years ago I became champion of the UFC by winning the tournament. I think it's a blessing. It all depends on how you deal with it and how you face trials like this. I believe it makes you stronger.
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With almost 20 years of professional mixed martial arts experience, the Brazilian may become one of the oldest UFC champions with a win over Weidman at UFC 187.
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