UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More
Don't sleep on the UFC 178 card on Saturday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson's defense of his UFC flyweight title vs. Chris Cariaso may not be the sexiest main event, but whatever the UFC 178 card lacks in the feature, it makes up for in its stellar co-feature, main card and preliminaries.
There are literally five fights on the undercard that could headline a Fight Night event and no one would bat an eye. You know it's a tight fight card when there are eight fighters in action that are a part of the EA Sports UFC video game roster.
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Take a look at this exciting lineup of fights along with viewing information and predictions for each bout. Fights don't happen on paper, but this schedule of bouts could produce a very memorable night.
Just below the chart is a closer look at the top three fights of the night.
| UFC Fight Pass at 7 p.m. ET | ||
| Jon Tuck vs. Kevin Lee | Lightweight | Tuck by decision |
| Manny Gamburyan vs. Cody Gibson | Bantamweight | Gibson by submission |
| Fox Sports Prelims at 8 p.m. ET | ||
| Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki | Bantamweight | Cruz by TKO |
| Jorge Masvidal vs. James Krause | Lightweight | Masvidal by decision |
| Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson | Welterweight | Thompson by KO |
| John Howard vs. Brian Ebersole | Weltwerweight | Howard by TKO |
| Main Card at 10 p.m. ET on PPV | ||
| Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes | Women's Bantamweight | Nunes by TKO |
| Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero | Middleweight | Romero by TKO |
| Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor | Featherweight | Poirier by submission |
| Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez | Lightweight | Cerrone by submission |
| Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso | Flyweight | Johnson by decision |
The Silencer
Love him or hate him, MMA and the UFC need guys like "The Notorious" Conor McGregor. He's got a big mouth, he's brash, but boy, can he fight.
Unlike Chael Sonnen, McGregor has the game to match the mic work. He has won all three of his UFC bouts, and he hasn't lost a fight since 2010.
That said, he's not invincible. His two losses came by way of submission, but not one of his UFC opponents has been able to expose the fact that he's simply not great on the ground.
Part of the reason for that is because his defense with the big company has been immaculate. McGregor has thwarted every single attempt to take him to the mat.
Against Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier, he'll meet the first man capable of taking advantage of him on the mat. Poirier doesn't possess powerful takedowns like Georges St-Pierre, but he is adept at converting submission opportunities.
He attempts 1.7 submissions per 15 minutes, and six of his 16 wins have come via tapout. The aggression of McGregor will work against him in this bout.
Poirier is great off his back, and he'll likely use this position to roll McGregor into an armbar or triangle-choke finish.
Welcome to the UFC
Eddie Alvarez is one of the last highly regarded fighters yet to make his debut in the UFC. On Saturday night, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone will welcome him, but the greeting will be a rude one.
Alvarez has a solid all-around game, but he's probably best on his feet. It just so happens that the same can be said for Cerrone.
In Alvarez's debut, he'll want to make an impression, and perhaps the best way to do that is by scoring a KO. He'll be looking for the home run against Cerrone, but instead, he'll find one of the Cowboy's vicious kicks to midsection or head. The strike will lead to the beginning of the end.
Cerrone will pounce on his fallen opponent and finish him with his nasty rear-naked choke. It should be impossible to keep Cerrone from a title shot after this win.
Too Fast, Too Skilled, Too Good
Mighty Mouse is one of the fastest athletes you'll ever see. Cariaso is no slowpoke, but there's clearly a difference between the two when it comes to pace.
When you combine that with the fact that Johnson works tirelessly at his craft, which allows him to blend speed with technique, he's the closest thing to a prototypical fighter in the lower weight classes.
To be honest, the only flyweight who can even make for an interesting bout against Johnson is John Dodson. Cariaso will do his best, but ultimately, Johnson will win an easy unanimous decision.
All stats per FightMetric.com
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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