UFC 187 Notebook: ‘Rumble’ Remade

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Anthony Johnson always envisioned someday vying for Ultimate Fighting Championship gold, just not at 205 pounds.

The reformed welterweight takes what he hopes will be his final step towards the summit when he meets Daniel Cormier for the vacant light heavyweight championship in the UFC 187 main event on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Once dismissed by the organization for repeated failures to make weight, Johnson now finds himself in the midst of a nine-fight winning streak and on the precipice of his first major title reign.

“Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen,” Johnson told Sherdog.com in a pre-fight interview. “I’m not going to say everything was the right way, but it happened the way it was supposed to happen and I accept that.”

In his way stands Cormier, a former Olympian who filled in on short notice following the UFC’s decision to suspend Jon Jones and strip the troubled star of his title. The 36-year-old American Kickboxing Academy ace has not fought since he failed to unseat Jones in a five-round unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January. Johnson knows he has his work cut out for him.

“He’s hungry,” he said. “A lot of fighters aren’t hungry. ‘DC’ is hungry. He hasn’t completed his goal in other sports. Now, he’s in mixed martial arts and he’s pretty damn determined to complete his goal in this sport. ‘DC’ is a beast. You can’t take that man for granted, that’s for sure.

“I think Cormier’s going to do whatever he can to win this fight, and that’s what I’m preparing for,” Johnson added. “Anything he tries, I won’t be surprised.”

Johnson -- who surfaced as the No. 1 contender at 205 pounds after he blitzed Alexander Gustafsson in January -- was originally paired with Jones, but a hit-and-run incident in Albuquerque, N.M., led the UFC to take action and alter those plans.

“I wasn’t disappointed that I wasn’t going to get to fight him because Jon’s a beast and I know he’ll be back,” Johnson said. “I was disappointed in the decisions he’s made. Once again, nobody’s perfect. We all have made some seriously stupid mistakes in our life. It’s just part of growing up and maturing.”

Related » UFC 187 Fight-by-Fight Preview

REAPPEARING ACT

He may have been gone for a while, but he certainly was not forgotten.

John Dodson will return to the cage for the first time in nearly a year when he squares off with former Bellator MMA champion Zach Makovsky in a preliminary flyweight attraction. Their bout carries with it obvious title implications, as the UFC seeks to keep 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson busy with worthy contenders. Dodson last fought at UFC Fight Night “Henderson vs. Khabilov” in June, when he forced a second-round doctor’s stoppage against John Moraga. The 30-year-old Jackson-Wink MMA standout underwent knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus and ACL soon after and has been sidelined ever since.

Makovsky has compiled a 3-1 record since arriving in the UFC in 2013.

“Makovsky is a tremendous athlete,” Dodson said. “He already knows what it feels like to be a champion, but I want to make sure I can stop him from ruining my dreams of becoming a UFC champion.”

THIS & THAT

When Vitor Belfort made his first appearance inside the Octagon in February 1997, middleweight champion Chris Weidman was 12 years old ... According to FightMetric data, Donald Cerrone ranks third among lightweights on the UFC’s all-time list for significant strikes landed with 749. Only Sam Stout (988), Evan Dunham (863) and Frankie Edgar (767) have connected on more ... Andrei Arlovski is one of 12 men who have held the undisputed UFC heavyweight championship, along with Mark Coleman, Maurice Smith, Randy Couture, Bas Rutten, Kevin Randleman, Josh Barnett, Ricco Rodriguez, Tim Sylvia, Frank Mir, Brock Lesnar, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos ... Team Alpha Male’s Joseph Benavidez owns a 21-1 record in three-round fights ... Dong Hyun Kim has never suffered two losses in a row ... The four fighters who have beaten former Ring of Combat champion Uriah Hall -- Weidman, Costas Philippou, Kelvin Gastelum and John Howard -- own a cumulative record of 57-17 ... When “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 finalist Rose Namajunas was born on June 29, 1992, the top five movies at the domestic box office were “Batman Returns,” “Unlawful Entry,” “Sister Act,” “Housesitter” and “Patriot Games” ... Mike Pyle has 16 submission victories to his credit: six via triangle choke, six via rear-naked choke, two via guillotine choke and one each via armbar and kimura ... American Top Team’s Leo Kuntz is 14-0-1 across his past 15 outings ... Josh Sampo wrestled collegiately at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., where he was a three-time NAIA All-American.

INSIDE THE VENUE

Upon completion of UFC 187 “Johnson vs. Cormier,” the MGM Grand Garden will have hosted 32 Ultimate Fighting Championship events -- more than any other venue.