''UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier'' was a
mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...
event held on May 23, 2015, at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena (originally known as the MGM Grand Garden Special Events Center) is a 17,000-seat multi-purpose arena located within the MGM Grand Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip.
Sporting events
From its opening on December 18, 1993 ...
in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
, Nevada.
Background
The event was expected to be headlined by a
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
bout between then champion
Jon Jones
Jonathan Dwight Jones (born July 19, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which he has competed in the light heavyweight division. He is a former two-time UFC L ...
and top contender
Anthony Johnson.
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
Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Ch ...
, who was scheduled to face
Ryan Bader
Arizona State Sun Devils
Ryan DuWayne Bader (born June 7, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Heavyweight Champion, the former Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion, a ...
in the main event of
UFC Fight Night 68
''UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 68'') was a mixed martial arts event held on June 6, 2015, at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Background
The event was expected to be headlined by a l ...
.
The co-main event featured a
UFC Middleweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
bout between current champion
and former
UFC Light Heavyweight champion
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
and
UFC 12 Heavyweight Tournament winner Vitor Belfort
Vítor Vieira Belfort (; born 1 April 1977) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight and Middleweight divisions. Belfort previously competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he fought in the Heavywe ...
. The much delayed pairing had been rescheduled for several events. The first of which was
UFC 173
''UFC 173: Barão vs. Dillashaw'' was a mixed martial arts event held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 24, 2014.
Background
A Middleweight Championship bout between then champion Chris Weidman and number one contender Vi ...
, where Belfort withdrew from the bout following the
Nevada State Athletic Commission
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
's ban on
testosterone replacement therapy
Androgen replacement therapy (ART), often referred to as testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) or hormone replacement therapy (HRT), is a form of hormone therapy in which androgens, often testosterone, are supplemented or replaced exogenously ...
. The other events were
UFC 181
''UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II'' was a mixed martial arts event held on December 6, 2014, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
UFC 181 was the organization's 300th event and was expected to be headlined by a Middlew ...
and
UFC 184
''UFC 184: Rousey vs. Zingano'' was a mixed martial arts event held on February 28, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
Background
A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort was expected to serve ...
, where Weidman withdrew from both bouts because of a broken hand and injured ribs, respectively.
The event was also expected to feature a
UFC Lightweight Championship
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships.
Historical notes
At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...
title eliminator bout between top contenders
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...
and
Donald Cerrone
Donald Cerrone (born March 29, 1983), known professionally by his nickname "Cowboy", is an American retired mixed martial artist, actor, and former professional kickboxer. He competed in the Lightweight and Welterweight division for the Ultimat ...
. However, Nurmagomedov pulled out of the bout on April 30 because of a knee injury. He was replaced by
John Makdessi
John Makdessi (born May 3, 1985) is a Canadian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Makdessi was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on May 3, 1985, ...
.
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. He was replaced by
Colby Covington
Colby Ray Covington (born February 22, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Welterweight Champ ...
.
Nina Ansaroff
Nina Ann Nunes (; born December 3, 1985) is an American former mixed martial artist who most competed in the women's flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Nunes was born and raised in Weston, Florida. Her materna ...
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
Rose Gertrude Namajunas (born June 29, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist. She is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she competes in the women's strawweight division and is the former two-time UFC Women's Strawweig ...
. 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.
During the Fox Sports 1 preliminary card broadcast, the UFC announced that
BJ Penn
Jay Dee "B.J." Penn III (born December 13, 1978) is an American former professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. Penn competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and in K-1. Penn was th ...
,
Bas Rutten
Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (; born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three-time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his car ...
and the late
Jeff Blatnick
Jeffrey Carl "Jeff" Blatnick (July 26, 1957 – October 24, 2012) was an American super heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestler and sports commentator. He won NCAA Division II heavyweight wrestling championships in 1978 and 1979 and won the Olympic gold ...
would be inducted to the UFC's revamped Hall of Fame at the "International Fight Week" in July, surrounding
UFC 189
''UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor'' was a mixed martial arts event held on July 11, 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Background
The event took place during the UFC's annual International Fight Week.
The event was expected t ...
.
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
In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions.
Additional obligation
In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...
car accident in
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, where he lives. At the time, the case was under investigation and the
Albuquerque Police Department
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) is the Municipal police, municipal law enforcement agency of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is the largest police force in the state, with approximately 1,000 sworn officers in 2022.
In addition to serving ...
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. 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."
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
Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to:
Objects
* Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules
** Piping, the use of pipes in industry
* Smoking pipe
** Tobacco pipe
* Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circula ...
and
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
inside the rented vehicle. Jones' case was being investigated as a
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...
, 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
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...
charge, which carries jail time of up to three years, as well as fines. An arrest warrant for the fighter was issued and Jones eventually turned himself in, after his lawyer arranged the plans for his surrender. Just hours later, Jones posted the $2,500 bail and left the
Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center on Monday night. On April 28, the UFC announced that Jones was stripped of his belt and suspended indefinitely due to his alleged involvement.
Results
Bonus awards
The following fighters were awarded $50,000 bonuses:
*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
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...
. It does not include sponsor money and also does not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.
* 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
*
List of UFC events
This is a list of events held and scheduled by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. UFC's first event, UFC 1, took place on November 12, 1993. Each UFC event contains several fight ...
*
2015 in UFC
References
{{UFC Events
Ultimate Fighting Championship events
2015 in mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts in Las Vegas
MGM Grand Garden Arena
May 2015 sports events in the United States