UFC Fight Night 52 Results: Burning Questions Heading into UFC 178

UFC Fight Night 52 is in the books! The results are as follows (h/t MMAJunkie.com):

• Mark Hunt def. Roy Nelson via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 3:00
• Myles Jury def. Takanori Gomi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:32
• Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Miesha Tate def. Rin Nakai via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kiichi Kunimoto def. Richard Walsh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Kyoji Horiguchi def. Jon Delos Reyes via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:48
• Masanori Kanehara def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Katsunori Kikuno def. Sam Sicilia via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:38
• Hyun Gyu Lim def. Takenori Sato via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:18
• Kyung Ho Kang def. Michinori Tanaka via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Johnny Case def. Kazuki Tokudome via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:34
• Maximo Blanco def. Daniel Hooker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Next up? The super-stacked UFC 178 on September 27.

Filled from top to bottom with title-relevant fights and elite talent in a multitude of divisions, UFC 178 is one of the most compelling cards of the last few years. While the headlining fight, Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso, is somewhat lacking, the rest of the card more than makes up for it, sporting names like Yoel Romero, Cat Zingano, Dominick Cruz, Eddie Alvarez and Conor McGregor.

So what should you discuss around the water cooler this week? Find out right here!

Can Stephen Thompson vs. Patrick Cote Possibly Live Up to Its Potential?

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The Fight: Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson
The Real Fight: Exciting Striker vs. Exciting Striker

The Stakes

In a battle between streaking welterweight strikers, Patrick Cote and Stephen Thompson face off in what should be the early Fight of the Night favorite. Cote is riding a three-fight winning streak and may have experienced a modest boost to his brand courtesy of his coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Nations.

Stephen Thompson, meanwhile, continues to dazzle with his amazing striking and recently knocked out TUF: The Smashes winner Robert Whittaker. Both of these men could be dark-horse contenders for a shot at welterweight gold.

The Question

Can Stephen Thompson vs. Patrick Cote possibly live up to its potential?

Analysis

Simple stuff here. This fight could be a Fight of the Year candidate and is no less tantalizing than highly anticipated tilts like Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi and Cub Swanson vs. Denis Siver. This is a compelling matchup between crafty strikers, and you should make sure to tune in for this one.

What the Heck Will Dominick Cruz Look Like?

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The Fight: Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
The Real Fight: Dominick Cruz vs. A Super-Duper Long Layoff

The Stakes

More than two years removed from his last MMA fight, Dominick Cruz (fingers crossed) is finally set to return to the Octagon. While he is no longer a champion, he remains close to the top of the bantamweight pack. His performance against Top 10 mainstay Takeya Mizugaki will tell us a great deal about how good he is following his long layoff.

The Question

What the heck will Dominick Cruz look like?

Analysis

If the Dominick Cruz of 2011 was magically transported into the present day, there is little doubt in my mind that he would still be the best bantamweight in the world. Heck, he beat Urijah Faber convincingly, and Renan Barao was just beaten by Cruz Lite.

Unfortunately, two years is a long time. It is basically impossible to guess how much of the spring has left Cruz's step. All we can do is sit back and hope he remains the elite talent he was way back when.

What Happens If Takeya Mizugaki Wins?

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The Fight: Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
The Real Fight: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Promotional Brass

The Stakes

Riding a five-fight winning streak with wins over ranked opponents in Francisco Rivera, Bryan Caraway and Erik Perez, Takeya Mizugaki is already right in the thick of title contention. A win over Dominick Cruz would make it impossible to deny...or at least it would be if the UFC didn't seem to be actively undermining his potential drawing power.

The Question

What happens if Takeya Mizugaki wins?

Analysis

If Cruz wins in emphatic fashion, he will almost certainly get an immediate shot at taking his belt back from TJ Dillashaw. But what if Takeya Mizugaki wins?

Logically, that should mean an immediate title shot. He warrants consideration right now, and beating the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time would almost serve as padding for his resume. Alas, the UFC seems to be consciously trying to keep fans from getting attached to him (probably due to its big investment in Erik Perez).

If he can win, it will be interesting to see what sort of nonsensical matchup the UFC puts together instead of a top contender affair that involves the Japanese veteran.

How Will Cat Zingano Look in Her Return to Action?

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The Fight: Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes
The Real Fight: Cat Zingano vs. Long Layoffs

The Stakes

Cat Zingano was one functioning knee away from coaching opposite Ronda Rousey on The Ultimate Fighter Season 18 and fighting on the epic UFC 168 card. Unfortunately, that did not come to pass. Now she looks to quickly reassert herself as one of the leading ladies at 135 pounds and earn a title shot in short order.

The Question

How will Cat Zingano look in her return to action?

Analysis

While Cat Zingano sits quite high on the UFC's official rankings, that stems from one come-from-behind knockout over Miesha Tate. In reality, Zingano is still a largely unknown commodity. She has demonstrated knockout power (a rarity in the women's bantamweight division) and solid wrestling but simply hasn't been in the cage enough times for anyone to be especially bullish regarding her talent level.

If she can easily dispatch Nunes, there is little argument against her receiving a title shot (or a top contender bout against somebody like Holly Holm or Bethe Correia). If she struggles, however, the door is open for somebody to take her spot in line.

How Good Is Yoel Romero's MMA Wrestling?

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The Fight: Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero
The Real Fight: Yoel Romero vs. An Established Opponent for the First Time

The Stakes

With the UFC looking to plant flags in Latin America, Cuban wrestler Yoel Romero is a fighter the UFC has been silently rooting for. While Romero has been undeniably impressive thus far with a 4-0 record in the Octagon, he may be the latest wrestler to be led astray by the siren song of knockout power. He faces a tough opponent in Top 10 grinder Tim Kennedy.

The Question

How good is Yoel Romero's MMA wrestling?

Analysis

With an Olympic silver medal, Yoel Romero is one of the best wrestlers in MMA on paper. In the cage and on paper, however, are very different measures. In the UFC, he has largely gotten by on his knockout power. While he certainly has plenty, we have seen less-than-elite fighters like Ronny Markes and Derek Brunson drag him into deep waters.

Romero will need to get back to his wrestling roots if he wants to defeat an excellent grinder like Tim Kennedy. If he can avoid the veteran's takedowns, he could easily win via knockout. If not, he is almost guaranteed to lose via convincing decision.

Can Dustin Poirier Spoil Things for Conor McGregor?

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The Fight: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
The Real Fight: Dustin Poirier vs. Ka-Ching!

The Stakes

Conor McGregor is the perfect fighter at the perfect time for the UFC. If he continues winning for much longer, a stadium show built around his title shot is almost inevitable...but that is a big if.

McGregor faces longtime Top 10 featherweight Dustin Poirier at UFC 178. While Poirier has faced stronger competition on the whole and is the more experienced fighter of the two, this is a tailor-made matchup for the Irishman. Should The Diamond pull off a win, though, he might just be rewriting the UFC's plans for 2015. 

The Question

Can Dustin Poirier spoil things for Conor McGregor?

Analysis

Look at Dustin Poirier up there, striking a Randy Orton pose. The big difference between him and Orton, however, is that the UFC's "Authority" (the meddling promotional brass) really doesn't want him to win.

Conor McGregor is a legitimate Top 10 featherweight. That isn't a matter of hype; that's a matter of fact. In terms of pure star power, however, he ranks inside the pound-for-pound top five. McGregor is a godsend for the personality-starved UFC and could be a legitimate replacement for Georges St-Pierre in terms of his pure drawing power, should he become champion.

The Diamond is standing in the way of what could be an incredibly lucrative title run for the UFC. Because of that, the biggest question on this entire card is whether or not he will spoil the milk of a potential cash cow.

How Will Eddie Alvarez Do in His UFC Debut?

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The Fight: Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez
The Real Fight: Eddie Alvarez vs. Toughest Opponent of His Career (Supposedly)

The Stakes

After a tumultuous 18 months, Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez makes his long-awaited UFC debut. While there has been much fanfare regarding the matchup with Donald Cerrone, the story of "one of the best fighters outside the UFC finally getting his shot in the Octagon" has rarely had a particularly happy ending. Alvarez is taking his first step down the path to either being a Vitor Belfort boom or a Mirko Cro Cop bust.

The Question

How will Eddie Alvarez do in his UFC debut?

Analysis

Logically breaking down this fight, Alvarez should be the clear favorite. While Cerrone has undeniable power and impressive submissions, Alvarez has technically marvelous striking and the superior wrestling game. If he can avoid stepping into one of Cerrone's jabs or ducking into one of his scary head kicks, he should be able to earn a decisive decision win.

Then again, Hector Lombard was supposed to handily beat Tim Boetsch. Hatsu Hioki was supposed to challenge Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight strap. Jason "Mayhem" Miller was supposed to...I don't know...not lose twice and then rob a church while naked.

It will be interesting to see how things go for Alvarez. If he wins, he would immediately become a major player near the top of the UFC's lightweight division. If he loses, even against a talent like Cerrone, history suggests fans would instantly label him one of the biggest disappointments ever.

Can Chris Cariaso Make This Competitive?

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The Fight: Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso
The Real Fight: Chris Cariaso vs. The Odds

The Stakes

Chris Cariaso is the flyweight champion's unlikely huckleberry...and man, the outlook is not good for him. According to OddsShark.com, Cariaso sits between plus-700 and plus-900, with Demetrious Johnson being as big as a minus-1375 favorite. If Cariaso can somehow pull out a win, it will easily rank among MMA's greatest upsets of all time...at least from an odds perspective. 

The Question

Can Chris Cariaso make this competitive?

Analysis

Part of the reason the odds are so skewed for this fight is unfamiliarity with Cariaso. Kamikaze has been brutally undermined by the UFC's disgusting, despicable card structure for years now. He has only once appeared on a UFC main card (a Fox Sports 1 Fight Night, mind you) despite being a successful 10-fight veteran who also found success beforehand in the WEC, Strikeforce and EliteXC. In terms of his skills, he is a technically sound striker with the veteran savvy to hang with pretty much anybody at flyweight or bantamweight.

Of course, even if fans and oddsmakers were familiar with Cariaso, Johnson would remain the favorite courtesy of the challenger's malleable chin, spotty wrestling and lack of finishing power. While Cariaso is good, there is little reason to believe Johnson won't win this without much trouble...unless Cariaso has some new tricks up his sleeves.

What Will UFC 178's Buyrates Be?

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The Fight: Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso
The Real Fight: Demetrious Johnson vs. Fan Indifference

The Stakes

Demetrious Johnson's first attempt at helming a pay-per-view was a cataclysmic failure, with UFC 174 drawing a puny 115,000 buys (h/t Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer via MMAPayout.com). Still, UFC 174 was not nearly as top-to-bottom strong as UFC 178 is, and bouts like Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez vs. Donald Cerrone and Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero are all UFC on Fox main event-caliber fights.

Demetrious Johnson is sitting atop one of the most thoroughly stacked cards of the last few years, and the UFC is going to have some thinking to do about Johnson if the buyrates don't reflect that, at least in part.

The Question

What will UFC 178's buyrates be?

Analysis

For the technique-minded fan, Demetrious Johnson is one of the most compelling fighters in MMA. His lightning-fast hands, slick wrestling, potent clinch striking and precognitive timing warrant top-three P4P status and make him a treat to watch.

For the casual fans and "Just Bleed" types, however, he just hasn't caught on.

The flyweight division has very little history, and there haven't been the legendary rivalries that the welterweight-and-up divisions are built upon. The fact that Johnson is the most mild-mannered dude in the world certainly hasn't helped. Oh, they're flyweights and small and yada yada. 

Either way, if Johnson vs. Cariaso puts up less than 200,000 buyrates, it is hard to imagine Mighty Mouse ever getting PPV headliner status again.