UFC 187
UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier was a mixed martial arts event held on May 23, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.[4]
| UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
The poster for UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier. | ||||
| Information | ||||
| Promotion | Ultimate Fighting Championship | |||
| Date | May 23, 2015 | |||
| Venue | MGM Grand Garden Arena | |||
| City | Las Vegas, Nevada | |||
| Attendance | 12,615[1] | |||
| Total gate | $5,189,623[2] | |||
| Buyrate | 375,000[3] | |||
| Event chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
The event was expected to be headlined by a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship bout between then champion Jon Jones and top contender Anthony Johnson.[4][5] However on April 28, following Jones' hit-and-run incident (see section below), the UFC decided to strip him of the title and suspend him indefinitely. He was replaced by the previous title challenger Daniel Cormier, who was scheduled to face Ryan Bader in the main event of UFC Fight Night 68.[6]
The co-main event featured a UFC Middleweight Championship bout between current champion Chris Weidman and former UFC Light Heavyweight champion and UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament winner Vitor Belfort. The much delayed pairing had been rescheduled for several events. The first of which was UFC 173, where Belfort withdrew from the bout following the Nevada State Athletic Commission's ban on testosterone replacement therapy. The other events were UFC 181 and UFC 184, where Weidman withdrew from both bouts because of a broken hand and injured ribs, respectively.[4]
The event was also expected to feature a UFC Lightweight Championship title eliminator bout between top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone.[7] However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the bout on April 30 because of a knee injury. He was replaced by John Makdessi.[8]
Sean Spencer was expected to face Mike Pyle at the event. However, Spencer pulled out of the bout on April 23 because of an injury.[9] He was replaced by Colby Covington.[10]
Nina Ansaroff missed weight on her first attempt at the weigh-ins, coming in 4 lb overweight at 120 lb. After having made no attempts to cut further, she was fined 20 percent of her fight purse, which went to Rose Namajunas.[11] However, on the day of the event, Ansaroff pulled out of the bout after contracting a case of the flu. As a result, the fight was pulled from the event entirely.[12]
During the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card broadcast, the UFC announced that BJ Penn, Bas Rutten and the late Jeff Blatnick would be inducted to the UFC's revamped Hall of Fame at the "International Fight Week" in July, surrounding UFC 189.[13][14]
Jones' hit-and-run incident
On April 26, it was rumored that Jones was forced out of the event. After several rumors regarding the cause of Jones' possible removal, it was later reported by MMAFighting that Jones was being sought for questioning in a hit-and-run car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he lives. At the time, the case was under investigation and the Albuquerque Police Department wanted to speak with Jones regarding the matter. According to Albuquerque PD spokesman Simon Drobik, Jones was named as a suspect, but he had yet to be reached by anyone.[15] The UFC stated that they were aware of APD's interest in speaking to Jones and they were "in the process of gathering facts and will reserve further comment until more information was available."[16]
On the following day, new information came out that Jones allegedly fled the scene of the accident before turning back to grab "a large handful of cash," according to a police report. An officer on the scene searched the car that allegedly ran a red light and caused the accident early Sunday morning, and stated he found documents identifying Jones. The officer also found a marijuana pipe and marijuana inside the rented vehicle.[17] Jones' case was being investigated as a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and fines. However the victim, a pregnant woman, suffered a broken bone and now Jones faces a felony charge, which carries jail time of up to three years, as well as fines.[18] An arrest warrant for the fighter was issued and Jones eventually turned himself in, after his lawyer arranged the plans for his surrender.[19][20] Just hours later, Jones posted the $2,500 bail and left the Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center on Monday night.[21] On April 28, the UFC announced that Jones was stripped of his belt and suspended indefinitely due to his alleged involvement.[6]
Results
| Main Card | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight class | Method | Round | Time | Notes | |||
| Light Heavyweight | Daniel Cormier | def. | Anthony Johnson | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 3 | 2:39 | [a] |
| Middleweight | Chris Weidman (c) | def. | Vitor Belfort | TKO (punches) | 1 | 2:53 | [b] |
| Lightweight | Donald Cerrone | def. | John Makdessi | TKO (head kick) | 2 | 4:44 | |
| Heavyweight | Andrei Arlovski | def. | Travis Browne | TKO (punches) | 1 | 4:41 | |
| Flyweight | Joseph Benavidez | def. | John Moraga | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1) | |||||||
| Flyweight | John Dodson | def. | Zach Makovsky | Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Dong Hyun Kim | def. | Josh Burkman | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | 3 | 2:13 | |
| Middleweight | Rafael Natal | def. | Uriah Hall | Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Welterweight | Colby Covington | def. | Mike Pyle | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 29–28, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
| Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass) | |||||||
| Lightweight | Islam Makhachev | def. | Leo Kuntz | Submission (rear-naked choke) | 2 | 2:38 | |
| Flyweight | Justin Scoggins | def. | Josh Sampo | Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) | 3 | 5:00 | |
- ^ For the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
- ^ For the UFC Middleweight Championship.
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:[23]
- Fight of the Night: Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne
- Performance of the Night: Daniel Cormier and Chris Weidman
Reported payout
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[24]
- Daniel Cormier: $180,000 (includes $90,000 win bonus) def. Anthony Johnson: $500,000
- Chris Weidman: $500,000 (includes $250,000 win bonus) def. Vitor Belfort: $300,000
- Donald Cerrone: $152,000 (includes $76,000 win bonus) def. John Makdessi: $30,000
- Andrei Arlovski: $84,000 (includes $42,000 win bonus) def. Travis Browne: $60,000
- Joseph Benavidez: $106,000 (includes $53,000 win bonus) def. John Moraga: $28,000
- John Dodson: $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Zach Makovsky: $19,000
- Dong Hyun Kim: $116,000 (includes $58,000 win bonus) def. Josh Burkman: $45,000
- Rafael Natal: $70,000 (includes $35,000 win bonus) def. Uriah Hall: $14,000
- Colby Covington: $24,000 (includes $12,000 win bonus) def. Mike Pyle: $51,000
- Islam Makhachev: $20,000 (includes $10,000 win bonus) def. Leo Kuntz: $10,000
- Justin Scoggins: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus) def. Josh Sampo: $13,000
See also
References
- ^ Staff (2015-05-24). "UFC 187 draws reported attendance of 12,615 fans for $5,189,167 live gate". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^ "Top MMA Gates". Nevada State Athletic Commission. September 16, 2016.
- ^ "Pay-per-view". mmapayout.com. May 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c Thomas Gerbasi (2015-02-18). "UFC 187 Features Championship Doubleheader on May 23". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
- ^ Staff (2015-03-11). "You need to see this superbly stacked 'UFC 187: Jones vs. Johnson' lineup". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
- ^ a b Marc Raimondi (2015-04-28). "Jon Jones stripped of title, Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson for belt headlines UFC 187". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
- ^ Newswire (2015-02-18). "UFC 187 rounds out main card with fights between Andrei Arlovski-Travis Browne, John Moraga-Joseph Benavidez". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
- ^ Marc Raimondi (2015-04-30). "Fresh off TKO win, John Makdessi gets call to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov against Donald Cerrone". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
- ^ Staff (2015-04-23). "Sean Spencer out at UFC 187, promotion seeking opponent for Mike Pyle". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
- ^ Thomas Gerbasi (2015-05-02). "Covington replaces Spencer in UFC 187 Bout". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-05-02.
- ^ Staff (2015-05-22). "UFC 187 weigh-in results: Title fighters on target; Weidman-Belfort get heated". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ^ Staff (2015-05-23). "Ansaroff ill, Namajunas fight off". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
- ^ Matt Erickson (2015-05-23). "Two-division champ B.J. Penn will be 'Modern Era' 2015 inductee to UFC Hall of Fame". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
- ^ Damon Martin (2015-05-23). "Former heavyweight champion Bas Rutten to be inducted into UFC Hall of Fame". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2015-05-23.
- ^ Marc Raimondi (2015-04-26). "Albuquerque PD: UFC champion Jon Jones sought for questioning in hit-and-run accident". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
- ^ UFC (2015-04-26). "UFC statement on Jon Jones". ufc.com. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
- ^ Steven Marrocco (2015-04-27). "Witnesses: Jon Jones fled hit-and-run scene with handful of cash; pot found in rental car". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
- ^ Steven Marrocco (2015-04-27). "Police: With driver's injury, Jon Jones now facing felony hit-and-run (Updated)". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
- ^ Brent Brookhouse (2015-04-27). "Arrest warrant issued for Jon Jones, arrangements made for champ to turn self in". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
- ^ Marc Raimondi (2015-04-27). "Jon Jones turns himself into Albuquerque police custody on felony charge". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2015-04-27.
- ^ Staff (2015-04-28). "After alleged hit-and-run, UFC champ Jon Jones out of jail on $2,500 bail". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
- ^ "UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier". Ultimate Fighting Championship. Retrieved 2015-02-18.
- ^ Matt Erickson (2015-05-24). "UFC 187 bonuses: You know Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne got paid $50,000". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^ Shaun Al-Shatti (May 26, 2015). "UFC 187 salaries: Chris Weidman, Anthony Johnson score $500,000 paydays". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved May 26, 2015.