UFC 187 Massive Success

UFC 187 was a massive success by all accounts.

UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman thumped Vitor Belfort in what had to have been a little bit of sweet revenge for the champ. Weidman’s been waiting patiently to take his turn at Belfort, who had spent some time in hot water thanks to playing around with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). That, coupled with Weidman’s recovery from past injuries, saw the championship match-up delayed multiple times. Weidman and Belfort, however, were incredible in the octagon, where Belfort started strong. Belfort nailed Weidman with a solid kick and came in with a heavy left hand, both of which appeared to leave Weidman shaken initially. The champ soon recovered, though, and soon brought Belfort down with a double-leg takedown.

Belfort later admitted that it was “a better night for [Weidman]” and that he was trying to avoid a ground fight, which he knew Weidman would have been looking for. Once Weidman took the mount and landed multiple hammerfists on his opponent, it was over.

That wasn’t the only UFC 187 draw, though; Daniel Cormier took on new foe Ryan Bader which pundits say will go a long way towards building the story arcs that UFC fans have been looking for. Cormier did not wait long to get into it with Bader, and as one of the organization’s newer champions, the UFC is now looking like it is building a fan base by offering up intriguing storylines behind each new match-up, as the WWE has done for years. With UFC heavy hitters like Georges St. Pierre and BJ Penn stepping away from the octagon, the sport is now looking for new blood, particularly in its fan base.

Chris Weidman found that out during UFC 187. When the crowd did not respond the way he’d hoped after his resounding defeat of Belfort, he bellowed, “Stop doubting me! You better join the team now!” Newer fighters appear to be struggling to find the dedicated, solid fan base that fighters like Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock once enjoyed. Of course, Shamrock and Ortiz had been through the UFC even in its infancy, and so their fans had practically grown up with them. Newer champs like Weidman, who faced hostility following his brutal win over Anderson Silva a couple of years ago that saw the latter end up with a devastating injury, do not have that luxury, even though they might be proving themselves to be among the best the UFC has to offer.