The three stars of 'UFC 187: Johnson vs. Cormier' in Las Vegas

The UFC plans to stage 45 events in 2015, and during that time, hundreds of fighters will enter and exit the octagon.

While pre-fight hype is an enjoyable aspect of the sport, it’s ultimately the in-cage performances that speak most to fans. For the majority of fighters, the opportunity to present their skills to the world only comes along a few times per year.

A total of 22 fighters got the chance on Saturday as part of UFC 187 at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena. The organization’s third pay-per-view in “Sin City” this year delivered what many are calling the “Event of the Year.”

Now that UFC 187 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

* * * *

Daniel Cormier

Third Star: Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) said he would make Anthony Johnson (19-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) quit in UFC 187’s main event. That’s exactly what happened when “DC” locked in a third-round submission that forced “Rumble” to tap and lose his opportunity to become the new UFC light heavyweight champion.

Despite absorbing some massive blows early in the fight, Cormier relentlessly pressured on Johnson until the opening for the submission arrived. That opportunity came in the third round when Johnson gave up his back and Cormier locked in a tight rear-naked choke for the tap.

The win crowned Cormier as the new 205-pound champ after Jon Jones was stripped of the title for well-documented reasons. Cormier refused to let his second crack at UFC gold go to waste.

Regardless of the debate as to whether or not Cormier’s title is the real deal, his victory marked a crowning achievement in a lengthy athletic career that has seen numerous highs and lows.

Chris Weidman

Second Star: Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) again proved his path to becoming UFC champion was no fluke with a first-round TKO victory over Vitor Belfort (24-11 MMA, 13-7 UFC) in the UFC 187 co-headliner.

Weidman successfully defended his middleweight championship for the third time overall with the decisive win. He lasted through Belfort’s feared first-round attack and dragged the fight to the ground where he easily took over. Weidman gained dominant position and finished the job with a ruthless series of strikes from on top.

For anyone who doubted Weidman following his two victories over Anderson Silva and subsequent title defense against Lyoto Machida, it’s essentially impossible to dismiss him now. He’s well on his way to becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport.

Travis Browne and Andrei Arlovski

First Star: Andrei Arlovski

Knocking out Travis Browne (17-3-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) in the first round is a remarkable feat. Doing it with a severely injured calf muscle is almost otherworldly. However, that’s what Andrei Arlovski (24-10 MMA, 13-4 UFC) accomplished in UFC 187’s lone heavyweight fight.

Arlovski was legitimately close to pulling out of the event just hours before his scheduled fight with “Hapa” but managed to push the pain to the side long enough to enter the octagon. That decision paid off in a big way because he won one of the greatest one-round fights in recent history.

The former UFC heavyweight champion was pegged as a significant betting underdog. He dismissed that notion early on when he clipped Browne to kick off several minutes of jaw-dropping mayhem.

Arlovski knocked Browne down, Browne rallied with a knockdown of his own. Arlovski survived and recovered better, though, and remained patient and accurate with his attacks until he scored the knockout with less than 20 seconds remaining in the round.

At this time roughly four years ago, Arlovski was on a four-fight losing skid with three first-round knockout losses. People dismissed him as a relevant heavyweight contender and criticized the UFC for bringing him back in 2014.

With three consecutive octagon victories against Browne, Antonio Silva and Brendan Schaub, there’s no denying “The Pitbull” belongs. Now it’s time to see how far he can take his current run.

For more on UFC 187, check out the UFC Events section of the site.