UFC 178: Power Ranking Anticipation for the Main Card Fights
UFC 178 is a big deal.
With names like Conor McGregor, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone and Dominick Cruz on the marquee, the debut of Eddie Alvarez, and a flyweight title fight, it's the type of event that hearkens back to the glory days of utterly stacked events.
Fans are excited in a way that they don't often get to be anymore, as there's a level of saturation with the UFC product that often makes following the fight game a joyless mulch of unknown names fighting in unknown places.
That's not the case this weekend though, and the excitement is producing a remarkable level of anticipation. It's almost tangible, pulsating from Las Vegas to be felt around the globe. Factoring in that buzz and the divisional importance of each fight, here are the power rankings for the main card tilts.
5. Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero
1 of 5
This is the type of bout that the UFC usually tries to squeeze a Fight Night out of. Slap this as the headliner, throw it in a backwater town and support it with The Ultimate Fighter winners fighting The Ultimate Fighter washouts and bam!—you have a night of programming for Fox Sports 1.
Cynicism aside, this is a very strong offering for a pay-per-view. The winner is quietly in title talks and could be a win away from challenging for gold in the spring. It's Kennedy's methodical grappling against Romero's freak athleticism and Olympic pedigree, and it's all but guaranteed to provide a spark.
The fact it's low on the list speaks to the quality of UFC 178 and not at all to the quality of the fight.
This is one to look forward to.
4. Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso
2 of 5
Time for more cynicism: People largely do not care about Demetrious Johnson. The UFC can tout his technical acumen and quickness, but not many people care about those things in MMA.
They care about concussive knockouts and submissions that break limbs, and they won't pay $60 for much less.
The fact that this is a title fight—another defense in an increasingly long list of them for Johnson—also means little. Flyweight is wildly thin, and Chris Cariaso is about as benign a threat as the promotion could find in a challenger.
The stakes are inherently high as a result of the title on the line, but it isn't moving the needle with fans. It's not out of the realm of possibility for people to leave before or while this fight takes place on Saturday.
3. Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes
3 of 5
Zingano has been out for more than a year after a severe knee injury and some personal tragedy, but when she left, she may have been the nastiest woman on Earth not named Rousey. She's the type of athletic talent that's rare in women's MMA and the type of technical talent that can have an impact on the division.
Nunes is a tough out who fights older than her 26 years; she's a bulldozer with matching brown belts in judo and jiu-jitsu. She's yet to lose in the UFC, and though Zingano is the one getting the hype, Nunes could be the liveliest dog on the card.
Women's MMA fans are excited about this one particularly, but anyone who loves a good fight is raring to go too. The odds are long that this takes 15 minutes to be settled.
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2. Eddie Alvarez vs. Donald Cerrone
4 of 5
Sometimes, you can see the fireworks going off before the fuse is lit. This is one of those times.
Alvarez, the self-proclaimed Underground King, was the face of Bellator while the UFC's lightweight division was swelling with talent. A new regime and a surprising commitment to letting him pursue his own interests later, and he was free to join those ranks and try to prove he's one of the best 155ers alive.
Cerrone, by any metric, is exactly that. While getting close to the top of the heap a few times in the past, he's closer than ever through sheer force of being active and entertaining the masses. A win over Alvarez would put him a victory away from a title shot.
Someone cements greatness by the time this one is done.
1. Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
5 of 5
Seriously, who else?
These two have been building to this for months, and the hysteria has reached a fever pitch. McGregor is as popular in Vegas as he is in Ireland this weekend, and Poirier seems to be taking that fact in the most personal way imaginable.
They've talked about doing harm to each other. They've tweeted about doing harm to each other.
Now they finally get locked in that cage to hash things out.
There is simply nothing better than this in sports.
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