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Despite the loss of Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC 187 still is a fantastic fight card stacked from the top to the bottom, featuring two title fights, in the light heavyweight and middleweight divisions, respectively.
In the main event Daniel Cormier and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson will clash for a shot at Jon Jones' vacant light heavyweight title and a new light heavyweight champion will be crowned for the first time in four years. While, Chris Weidman will finally defend his 185-pound title against the ‘phenom’ Vitor Belfort in the co-main event a fight almost one & a half year in the making,
Apart from two Title fights in the main and co-main event there are several key fights on this fight card with future title implication. So, let us preview three of those mark key fights:
John Dodson (16-6) vs. Zach Makovsky (19-5)
BETTING ODDS: Dodson (-450), Makovsky (+360)
Dodson:- John Dodson knocked out current UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw to win TUF 14 and has since dropped a weight class & gone onto become one of the best flyweights in the sport. The 30 year old American is 5-1 in the UFC with wins over the likes of John Moraga, Tim Elliott and Jussier Formiga at flyweight, with his only loss coming to current champion Demetrious Johnson.
Dodson lost to Demetrious Johnson in January 2013 but has won two straight since then, knocking out Ulysses Gomez and busting up John Moraga’s face to place himself back in line for another shot at the belt. Despite being one of the smallest fighters on the UFC roster, Dodson is one of the most powerful punchers. He has 10 finishes for a flyweight, including eight by knockout.
Dodson is the most potent striker in the division, with ridiculous power in his left hand, unreal ability to cover distance and outstanding takedown defense. He is extremely fast, explosive, athletic, and powerful, and many believe he can very well be the one to dethrone 125 pound champ, as he knocked down the camp several times in their first encounter and was having a good success against him until Jhonson took over the fight in championship rounds.
Dodson returns to action after nearly a year off due to a knee injury and draws former Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Makovsky in an outstanding flyweight fight
Makovsky:- The former Bellator bantamweight champion Makovsky rebounded from a loss to Jussier da Silva by beating Tim Elliott in February. The 32-year-old American is 3-1 in the UFC with wins over Elliott, Josh Sampo and Scott Jorgensen with his only loss in UFC coming to Formiga. Makovsky, who trains at TriStar, is a highly technical fighter both on the feet and on the mat.
Makovsky’s game is based on his slick wrestle-grappling arsenal, which features a quick single-leg, trips and hip tosses combined with solid top control, but he offers little on the feet and lacks finishing ability, but his biggest strength is his grappling.
He is very good at wrestling, both offensively and defensively, and doesn’t make many mistakes on the ground. Makovsky certainly has the skills to beat a lot of 125lbers in the UFC, but Dodson is a big step up in competition for him & because of that the he’s a big underdog heading into this fight.
Verdict:- Dodson vs Makovsky is an excellent main event for UFC 187 Fox Sport 1 prelims. Dodson rightly deserves to be the favorite here I don’t see any route of victory for Makosky here.
He is a great fighter but Dodson is just better everywhere and when you add up the devastating power he posses it’s hard to imagine how Makovsky will survive that. Makosky will serve as a stepping stone for Dodson to climb up to become the next title challenger & get that most awaited rematch against the champion Demetrious Johnson.
Joseph Benavidez (21-4) vs. John Moraga (16-3)
BETTING ODDS: Benavidez (-600), Moraga (+450)
Benavidez:- Mostly known a wrestle-grappler with some raw power in his hands, Benavidez has evolved into one of the best strikers in the division. The 30-year-old American is 8-2 overall in the UFC with wins over the likes of Eddie Wineland, Jussier Formiga and Ian McCall with his two losses coming to the champ Demetrious Johnson.
The member of ‘Team Alpha Male’ is an excellent grappler on the ground capable of pulling off slick submissions especially his trademark guillotine. He has good wrestling, his cardio is excellent, and he’s very technical and powerful on the feet. He is a finisher, as he finished 15 fighters in his 21 career victories. He targets head, body and legs in sequence, mixing up his strike location to keep his opponents guessing, and works at a fantastic pace.
After getting shockingly knocked out by the champ Johnson in their second encounter, he has picked up two nice wins over Tim Elliott and Dustin Ortiz to re-emerge as a contender, and a win over Moraga could put him right into that title mix.
Moraga:- Moraga is also an elite flyweight in the UFC. The 31-year-old American is 5-2 overall in the UFC with wins over Justin Scoggins, Ortiz, Willie Gates, Chris Cariaso and Ulysses Gomez with his only losses coming to the champ Johnson and John Dodson. Moraga’s game is defined by his opportunism and finishing ability, both on the feet and on the ground as of his five UFC wins four have come by stoppage.
Moraga is a tough, scrappy veteran who is good just about everywhere. He throws vicious power at range, with a strong preference for the left hook and right low kick, both as leads and as counters. The clinch might be Moraga’s best area, as he slices up his opponent with sharp elbows and hard knees while controlling against the cage.
Moraga’s guillotine is absolutely lethal, and he has a lightning-quick move to the back in transition. Moraga’s entire game depends on exploiting his opponent’s mistakes but when that doesn’t happen Moraga have found himself in trouble in the past.
Verdict:- The main card opener is an excellent flyweight matchup between two top tier flyweights but Benavidez is the more technical and consistent striker works at a much quicker pace and likely has more power, in short Benavidez is a better fighter than Moraga. Despite the steep betting line on Benavidez, I doubt he will finish Moraga here but unless Moraga catches Benavidez with a magical punch, I think this will end up being a straightforward unanimous decision victory for Benavidez.
Travis Browne (17-2-1) vs. Andrei Arlovski (23-10)
BETTING ODDS: Travis Browne (-440), Arlovski (+350)
Browne:- Browne, who recently moved from Jackson MMA in Albuquerque, to Glendale Fighting Club under the tutelage of Edmond Tarverdyan, is a legit top 10 heavyweight in the world. The 32-year-old Hawaiian is 8-2-1 in the UFC with Key wins over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Josh Barnett, Brendan Schaub, Gabriel Gonzaga and Stefan Struve with his only losses coming to Antonio Silva and Fabricio Werdum.
Browne is a big heavyweight who stands at 6’7″, Browne has an extremely long reach and he has power in all of his limbs. He has finished 15 of his 17 wins, including 13 by knockout, and he has seven stoppages in his eight UFC victories, which demonstrates his ability to finish fights. He is very athletic and is shockingly light on his feet for such a big heavyweight and explodes into his movements with surprising speed.
Takedown defense is a real strength of Browne’s game, and when he braces himself against the fence and snags an under hook, & has viciously knocked out two of his previous opponents by driving elbows and hammer fists into the side of their head. With an impressive win over Arlovski Browne could very well get a title shot or atleast a no. 1 contender’s match.
Arlovski:- Arlovski is one of the most fan favorite heavyweight fighters of all time. The 36-year-old Belarussian is a former UFC champion and has compiled a lifetime record of 12-4 while fighting in the Octagon, defeating the likes of Schaub, Silva, and Werdum. He also has big wins over Roy Nelson and Ben Rothwell during his time away from the UFC. Arlovski is a strong, powerful heavyweight with big-time power.
He has finished 19 fights in his career, with 16 of those wins coming by knockout. Arlovski’s once-elite skills are still more or less present despite his long tenure in the sport. He is a good athlete with outstanding hand speed, and his striking repertoire is still potent. He works behind a crisp jab and then whirls a hard right hand, which he often doubles up, as he did with the punch that knocked out “Bigfoot” Silva.
His timing on the counter is excellent, and he places his shots beautifully around and through his opponent’s guard. He takes good angles, moves well in space and mixes in the occasional kick at range. Arlovski is also suffocating in the clinch, & has decent takedown defense as well.
Verdict:- Despite betting odds seem too extreme here for a heavyweight fight which can be ended by one rightly placed punch by any man at any time, I still think Browne is the better, younger faster and probably more powerful fighter out of the two. I think Brown will finish the fight by cracking Arlovski chin the moment he connect it with his power shot.
