Introduction
UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier. May 23, 2015. MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. The event was originally headlined by Jon Jones (c) defending the LHW title against Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson. On April 26, Jones was named a suspect in a hit-and-run car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A pregnant woman sustained a broken arm. Jones left the scene before returning. On April 28, the UFC stripped Jones of the title and suspended him indefinitely. Daniel Cormier replaced him.
Cormier submitted Johnson by rear-naked choke in round three to become the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion — only four months after losing to Jones at UFC 182. In the co-main event, Chris Weidman retained the MW title with a dominant first-round TKO of Vitor Belfort. Donald Cerrone extended his win streak to eight with a second-round TKO of John Makdessi. Islam Makhachev also debuted with a submission win.
Contents
1. Introduction
2. Quick Stats
3. The Build-Up
4. Main Event
5. Co-Main Event
6. Full Results
7. Bonuses & Awards
8. Records & Milestones
9. Legacy & Impact
10. FAQ
11. References
Quick Stats
Date: May 23, 2015
Venue: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Original Main Event: Jon Jones (c) vs. Anthony Johnson — LHW Championship; Jones stripped April 28
Main Event: Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson — Vacant LHW Championship
Result: Cormier def. Johnson — Sub (RNC) R3, 2:39 — Cormier new LHW champion (4 months after losing to Jones); Johnson dropped Cormier in R1 with right hand; Cormier recovered, dominated R2-R3
Co-Main: Weidman def. Belfort — TKO (GnP) R1, 2:53 — MW Championship; Weidman 13-0, 3rd title defence
Jones context: Hit-and-run Albuquerque, NM; pregnant woman broke arm; Jones left scene then returned; felony charge; came after a cocaine-metabolite positive before UFC 182
Bonuses: FOTN: Arlovski/Browne ($50k each); POTN: Cormier + Weidman ($50k each)
The Build-Up
Jones’s arc in the months before UFC 187 was one of the sport’s most dramatic falls: a cocaine-metabolite positive test before UFC 182 (not banned out of competition, so the result stood), and then on April 26, 2015, a hit-and-run car accident in Albuquerque, NM. A pregnant woman in the car he struck suffered a broken arm. Jones left the scene and was later charged with felony leaving the scene of an accident involving injury.
The UFC stripped Jones on April 28. Cormier’s most recent result was a unanimous-decision loss to the man who had just been stripped. Despite that, Cormier stepped in to fight Anthony Johnson — one of the most dangerous knockout artists in the LHW division — for the vacant title.
Main Event
Daniel Cormier vs. Anthony Johnson — Vacant LHW Championship
Johnson came out fast in round one and dropped Cormier with a clean overhand right early in the bout. Cormier recovered, closed the distance, and used his wrestling to ground Johnson. The grappling neutralised Johnson’s power and shifted the momentum.
From the second round on, Cormier wore Johnson down with top control and ground-and-pound. In round three Cormier took Johnson’s back and sank a rear-naked choke. Johnson tapped at 2:39. Daniel Cormier was the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Post-fight, Cormier addressed the circumstances of the title directly, acknowledging that Jon Jones had vacated the belt through his own conduct rather than in the cage.
Co-Main Event
Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort — UFC MW Championship
Belfort opened with an aggressive flurry that briefly had Weidman in trouble. Weidman covered up, weathered the storm, and shot for a takedown. He passed to full mount and unloaded ground-and-pound, briefly took the back, then returned to mount to finish. Referee Herb Dean stopped it at 2:53 of round one. Weidman improved to 13-0 and made the third defence of his middleweight title. Fighting without TRT (banned in 2014), Belfort could not replicate his earlier knockout form.
Full Results
Preliminary Card
Justin Scoggins def. Josh Sampo — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — FLW
Islam Makhachev def. Leo Kuntz — Sub (RNC) — R2, 2:38 — LW; Makhachev UFC debut; future UFC LW champion
Colby Covington def. Mike Pyle — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 — WW; early Covington UFC career
Rose Namajunas def. Nina Ansaroff — Sub (rear-naked choke) — R1, 2:23 — WSW
Main Card
Joseph Benavidez def. John Moraga — Decision (Unanimous) — R3 (30-27 x3) — FLW
Andrei Arlovski def. Travis Browne — TKO (punches) — R1, 4:41 — HW; wild brawl; FOTN ($50k each); Sherdog 2015 Round of the Year
Donald Cerrone def. John Makdessi — TKO (head kick) — R2, 4:44 — LW; head kick broke Makdessi’s jaw; Cerrone on an 8-fight win streak
Chris Weidman def. Vitor Belfort — TKO (punches) — R1, 2:53 — MW Championship; POTN ($50k); Weidman 13-0, 3rd defence; Co-Main
Daniel Cormier def. Anthony Johnson — Sub (RNC) — R3, 2:39 — Vacant LHW Championship; Cormier new champion; POTN ($50k); Main Event
Bonuses & Awards
Fight of the Night: Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne — $50,000 to each fighter.
Performance of the Night: Daniel Cormier + Chris Weidman — $50,000 each.
Records & Milestones
Daniel Cormier — won the vacant UFC Light Heavyweight Championship only four months after losing to Jones by unanimous decision at UFC 182.
Jon Jones — stripped of the LHW title outside the cage rather than losing it in a fight, following his arrest for a hit-and-run and a prior cocaine-metabolite positive test.
Chris Weidman — improved to 13-0 and made the third defence of his middleweight title. Fighting without TRT, Vitor Belfort could not sustain his early pressure.
Islam Makhachev — earned a submission win on his UFC debut; later became UFC Lightweight Champion at UFC 280 in October 2022, defeating Charles Oliveira for the title.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 187 marked the start of Daniel Cormier’s light heavyweight title reign — a reign permanently shadowed by his rivalry with Jon Jones. Cormier would go on to defend the belt and later become a two-division champion, but the question of how he matched up with a fully active Jones hung over the division for years.
The card is also remembered for the Arlovski–Browne heavyweight brawl, widely cited as one of the best rounds of 2015, and for Chris Weidman’s last successful middleweight title defence before he lost the belt to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. The night also quietly debuted Islam Makhachev, who would become one of the sport’s pound-for-pound greats.
FAQ
Why did Jon Jones not fight at UFC 187?
Jones was scheduled to defend the light heavyweight title against Anthony Johnson but was stripped and suspended by the UFC on April 28, 2015, after being charged in a hit-and-run accident in Albuquerque. Daniel Cormier replaced him against Johnson for the vacant title.
How did Daniel Cormier beat Anthony Johnson?
Johnson dropped Cormier early in round one with a big punch, but Cormier recovered, used his wrestling to control the fight, and submitted Johnson with a rear-naked choke at 2:39 of round three to win the vacant light heavyweight title.
What happened in the Weidman vs. Belfort fight?
Belfort hurt Weidman with an early flurry, but Weidman survived, took the fight to the ground, and finished with ground-and-pound at 2:53 of round one. It was Weidman’s third successful middleweight title defence.
Did Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 187?
Yes. Islam Makhachev made his UFC debut on the UFC 187 preliminary card, submitting Leo Kuntz by rear-naked choke in round two. He later became UFC Lightweight Champion at UFC 280 in 2022.
Who won Fight of the Night at UFC 187?
Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne earned Fight of the Night for their wild first-round heavyweight brawl. Daniel Cormier and Chris Weidman took Performance of the Night bonuses. Each award was worth $50,000.