UFC 187 results: Chris Weidman retains title with quick TKO of Vitor Belfort

Chris Weidman

LAS VEGAS – Chris Weidman had to weather an early storm to do it, but the UFC middleweight champion defended his title in devastating fashion against Vitor Belfort.

After being cut open by an early flurry, Weidman (13-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) took Belfort (24-11 MMA, 13-7 UFC) down and pummeled him relentlessly on the mat, forcing the TKO stoppage at the 2:53 mark of Round 1.

The middleweight title fight was the co-main event of today’s UFC 187 event at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Belfort got off to a strong start early, as he often does, hurting Weidman with a few sharp left hands, then unloading with uppercuts as Weidman faded back against the fence and retreated into a defensive shell.

Weidman would recover quickly from that early onslaught, however, bringing Belfort’s momentum to a sudden halt with a takedown in the center on the cage that landed him in Belfort’s half-guard. From there, Weidman soon passed to full mount, with Belfort initially giving up his back before allowing Weidman to return to mount.

That’s when Weidman really unloaded with strikes from the top, bouncing Belfort’s head off the mat with punches before punishing him with elbows. Belfort attempted to respond with punches off his back, but they only succeeded in leaving him more open to Weidman’s assault. As Belfort rolled to his side and absorbed one unanswered blow after another, referee Herb Dean had no choice but to step in, bringing the bout to a swift end.

“He hit me with some good shots, but I was just covering, covering, covering and I was ready to come back,” Weidman said in his post-fight interview. “I had said in my mind, ‘If this is a grappling match, I’m dominating.'”

With the victory, Weidman retains his UFC middleweight title and maintains his perfect professional record. Belfort loses for the first time since his submission defeat against Jon Jones in 2012.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 187 results include:

• Chris Weidman def. Vitor Belfort via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 2:53 – to retain middleweight title
• Donald Cerrone def. John Makdessi via TKO (kick, injury) – Round 2, 4:44
• Andrei Arlovski def. Travis Browne via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:41
• Joseph Benavidez def. John Moraga via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• John Dodson def. Zach Makovsky via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Josh Burkman via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 2:13
• Rafael Natal def. Uriah Hall via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Colby Covington def. Mike Pyle via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Islam Makhachev def. Leo Kuntz via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:38
• Justin Scoggins def. Josh Sampo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For complete coverage of UFC 187, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan, Matt Erickson and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Las Vegas.)