Despite losing two of its biggest PPV draws, tonight’s UFC 187 should still do good numbers. The media hasn’t been paying much attention, but Chris Weidman is still defending his title against Vitor Belfort. I expect Weidman to get the job done against the veteran Belfort in what promises to be an exciting fight. Vitor looked undersized compared to Weidman at the weigh-ins, and I don’t think that he’ll be able to stop the champ from bullying him around the ring. Vitor’s best strategy will be to pressure Weidman early with strikes, but Weidman’s footwork and angles tend to frustrate opponents. Too much respect for the takedown will play right into Weidman’s game plan. He will probe the holes in Vitor’s game for a round or two, then pick him apart. I’m definitely a Weidman booster, and look forward to see him defend against the top-tier fighters at Middleweight, such as Luke Rockhold and Jacare.
Also on the card is a #1 contender match dressed up as a title fight, as Anthony “Rumble” Johnson takes on Daniel Cormier. Cormier’s last outing was a frustrating loss to champion Jon “Bones” Jones, who was suspended and stripped of his title after a series of high-profile controversies, most recently a hit-and-run in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Now, when I heard “hit-and-run,” I naturally thought that Jones and driven off after causing an accident, but no, this fool jumped out of his rental car and fled the scene on foot, returning to grab a wad of cash from his glove box before jumping a fence and disappearing for about 36 hours. He left his marijuana and pipe in the car.
Two other vehicles were involved in the crash after Jones ran a red light, one of which contained a pregnant woman. When she was sent to the hospital as a precaution, it was discovered that she had broken a bone in her arm. This injury raised the misdemeanor charge into a felony. Jones turned himself in late the next evening, and was released on $2,500 bail.
The reaction on social media was immediate and fierce. Many pointed out that this was not Jones’ first brush with controversy. He wrapped his car around a tree and plead guilty to a DUI just two years ago in 2012. In 2014, he was involved in a fight in the MGM lobby after being shoved by Daniel Cormier at a promotional stare-down. In the lead up to that same fight, Jones tested positive for cocaine metabolites on an out-of-competition drug test. He avoided official sanction due to the fact that cocaine is not banned out of competition, and should not have been screened for in that particular blood test. Public sentiment, however, swung strongly against the Light Heavyweight champ as Jones’ many detractors seized upon each incident to criticize him on social media.
The UFC can and should act to protect it’s interests in this case. They feel that their perceived permissiveness with Jones has hurt their brand, as does Jones’ negative publicity. Additionally, it disrupts the UFC’s planning and promotion when they don’t know if one of their champions will soon be doing jail time.
None of this changes the fact that Jon Jones is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the UFC today, and we the fans don’t get to see Anthony Johnson get his chance to disprove that. It’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to Johnson, who had the best chance of beating Jones to date. No one is a better mixed martial artist than Jones, but Johnson has enough power and technique in his striking game to put the lights out on Jones, who has notoriously weak boxing fundamentals. As often as Cormier tagged Jones in their last fight, Johnson would need far fewer strikes to end Jones’ night and become the new Light Heavyweight champion. Even if Johnson wins tonight, he will have missed out on the opportunity to take the title from Jones, and all the haters out there miss the chance to see Jones knocked out. If Cormier wins tonight, we will know for sure that he is not the best. If Johnson wins, we’ll have no way of knowing.
Additionally, I have always felt that an athlete's performance on the field is separate from the rest of their lives. Mind you, Jones should get no preferential treatment. He will have his day in court, and the justice system will apply punishment. Nor to I let him off the hook morally. If you are involved in an accident, especially if you cause it, you stay and see if you can render aid. You call an ambulance. You give a statement to the police. When Jones ran he wasn't just being stupid, he was being selfish and irresponsible. However, I still don’t think that any of us should get fired for things that happen outside the office, including star athletes. I also don't think that outsiders should feel entitled to draw sweeping conclusions or pop off at the mouth when someone they don't know fucks up.
The kicker is that I think Johnson had a better chance against Jones than he does against Cormier. If Johnson’s cardio and his defensive wrestling hold up tonight, he can take it by ko. If Cormier can bully and wear him out, the fight will be his, most likely inside 5.
As for the rest of the card:
Rose Namajunas over Nina Ansaroff by sub. (EDIT: Canceled)
Uriah Hall over Rafael Natal by. . .ko/tko.
Dong Hyun Kim by decision if Kim fights smart, Josh Burkman by ko/tko if Kim fights fun.
John Dodson over Zach Makovsky by ko/tko.
Joseph Benavidez over John Moraga by decision.
Travis Browne over Andrei Arlovski by ko/tko, maybe?
Cowboy Cerrone hurts John Makdessi before locking in the sub. Khabib Nurmagomedov was supposed to fight Cowboy tonight, but pulled out due to injury. We the fans were robbed of seeing the Eagle soar and the UFC was robbed of their #1 contender match, but I have a feeling that Cowboy may have been saved from an ugly loss.
Follow along tonight with @KevJMahon on Twitter.
Keep your hands up and defend yourself at all times, and we’ll see you next time here at Rabbit Punch!
