UFC 178 Results: Burning Questions Heading into Fight Nights 53, 54

UFC 178 is in the books. The results are as follows:

UFC 178 Main Card

• Demetrious Johnson def. Chris Cariaso, submission (Round 2, 2:29)
• Donald Cerrone def. Eddie Alvarez, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Conor McGregor def. Dustin Poirier, TKO (Round 1, 1:46)
• Yoel Romero def. Tim Kennedy, TKO (Round 3, 0:58)
• Cat Zingano def. Amanda Nunes, TKO (Round 3, 1:21)

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

• Dominick Cruz def. Takeya Mizugaki, TKO (Round 1, 1:01)
• Jorge Masvidal def. James Krause, unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
• Stephen Thompson def. Patrick Cote, unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Brian Ebersole def. John Howard, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC Fight Pass Prelims

• Kevin Lee def. Jon Tuck, unanimous decision (30-26,30-26, 30-26)
• Manny Gamburyan def. Cody Gibson, submission (Round 2, 4:56)

Next up? A Fight Night doubleheader taking place on opposite ends of the Atlantic on Saturday.

Rory MacDonald faces Tarec Saffiedine in what might be the fight to determine the next opponent for the welterweight contender. Gunnar Nelson tries to climb the rankings at the expense of veteran Rick Story. Past that, it is largely a night of up-and-comers.

So what topics are worth discussing around the water cooler? Find out right here!

What Will Dennis Siver Look Like After His Suspension?

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

Event: Fight Night 53
The Fight: Dennis Siver vs. Taylor Lapilus
The Real Fight: Dennis Siver vs. Some Guy, I Don't Know, Whatever

The Stakes

Musclebound featherweight Dennis Siver has sat just outside title contention in the lightweight and featherweight divisions for basically his entire UFC career. Unfortunately for him, a loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 162 followed by a failed drug test at UFC 168 sent him to the very back of the line. He will have to start climbing back to relevance by beating Taylor Lapilus.

The Question

What will Dennis Siver look like after his suspension?

Analysis

Fighter with a fan-friendly style? Check. Foothold in a foreign market? Check. Fallen on hard times of late? Check.

Yup, those are the perfect conditions for a squash match. Taylor Lapilus has a solid grappling game, but this is also his first match that actually allows ground-and-pound. You read that correctly. He is a clear work in progress, while Siver is well-entrenched in the featherweight rankings with 17 UFC fights to his name. 

Siver will win this fight. The only question is how easily he will be able to pull it off and how he will look physically after being popped for hCG.

Will Either of the Non-McGregor Irish Fighters Raise Their Profile?

Event: Fight Nights 53, 54
The Fight: Cathal Pendred vs. Gasan Umalatov, Louis Gaudinot vs. Patrick Holohan
The Real Fight: Ireland vs. The World

The Stakes

Conor McGregor threw the doors open to the Irish market for the UFC, but Zuffa needs a Dan Hardy and Brad Pickett to back up their Irish Michael Bisping to really cement themselves in the region. Enter Cathal Pendred and Patrick Holohan. Both men look to gain momentum and start UFC winning streaks next week, and if they succeed, expect them to get an Erik Perez-style push behind them.

The Question

Will either of the non-McGregor Irish fighters raise their profile?

Analysis

The UFC could probably fill a stadium in Ireland on McGregor alone, but it takes more than one fighter to build a strong foundation in a country. If the UFC wants a new Brazil, it needs names upon names to keep the local population invested. That starts with fighters like Pendred and Holohan building up winning streaks, and they can do just that here.

How Will Jan Blachowicz Do in His UFC Debut?

Event: Fight Night 53
The Fight: Jan Blachowicz vs. Ilir Latifi
The Real Fight: One of the Top 205-Pound Prospects of Recent Years vs. Scary Swedish Man

The Stakes

Jan Blachowicz has been regarded as one of the top light heavyweights outside the UFC for a good long while now. Since 2008, he has amassed a 14-1 record, with the one loss coming with an asterisk (he lost to Sokoudjou after re-aggravating a knee injury but avenged the loss months later). He is now set to make his long-awaited UFC debut opposite the super-scary Ilir Latifi.

The Question

How will Jan Blachowicz do in his UFC debut?

Analysis

KSW is home to a bunch of great fighters, and it has done a strong job of building a roster around its three local talents: Mariusz Pudzianowski, Mamed Khalidov and Jan Blachowicz. But while the UFC tried to lowball Khalidov and hasn't bothered to pursue the world's strongest man (who is actually a pretty mediocre super heavyweight), the No. 1 fight promotion successfully coaxed Blachowicz to leave the European circuit behind him.

Skill-wise, he is a lot like Bellator's Michael Chandler. He is a solid striker who owns a scary top game, but his striking isn't technically marvelous and he tends to struggle off his back. You can read Scott Harris' full "Beaten Path" breakdown of him here.

However, as you can see on the next slide, he is getting no favors when it comes to his first UFC opponent.

Is Ilir Latifi a Light Heavyweight Contender?

Event: Fight Night 53
The Fight: Ilir Latifi vs. Jan Blachowicz
The Real Fight: Ilir Latifi vs. His Next Victim, Probably

The Stakes

While Ilir Latifi entered the UFC under unique circumstances when he took a main event fight on super-short notice, he has since shown himself to be one of the hottest up-and-comers at 205 pounds. If he can beat Jan Blachowicz half as easily as he did Cyrille Diabate or Chris Dempsey, it will be hard to argue against ranking him within the division's top 10.

The Question

Is Ilir Latifi a light heavyweight contender?

Analysis

Latifi is one of the most imposing figures in MMA. While he stands at "just" 5'10", he is built like an incredibly muscular fire hydrant. Not only is he a physical specimen, but he owns strong wrestling skills (which is odd for a European fighter) and trains at one of the best gyms around in the Allstars Training Center.

On those three things alone, he can defeat a majority of the men at 205 pounds. With the skills he has shown in his last two fights, it's easy to imagine him mauling top-10 names like Ovince Saint Preux, "Shogun" Rua and Dan Henderson. If Latifi can beat Blachowicz, he more than deserves a chance to assert himself as an upper-echelon talent.

Can Max Holloway Make History?

USA TODAY Sports

Event: Fight Night 53
The Fight: Akira Corassani vs. Max Holloway
The Real Fight: Max Holloway vs. Quick Turnarounds

The Stakes

Max Holloway has quietly put together one of the best streaks of 2014, knocking out Will Chope in January, submitting Andre Fili in April and mauling Clay Collard in August. If he can beat Akira Corassani in emphatic fashion, he may be poised to put together a five-fight winning streak inside a calendar year for the first time in modern UFC history.

The Question

Can Max Holloway make history?

Analysis

Max Holloway is just 22 years old, and this fight with Corassani will be his 10th in the UFC. How crazy is that?

But anyway, Urijah Faber nearly pulled off five wins in a 12-month span when he replaced Dominick Cruz at UFC 169. Holloway, by filling in for an injured Chan-Sung Jung, is ready to fight for the fourth time in 2014 and will basically have three full months to make it five. Granted, he needs to beat Corassani first (which is by no means something to take for granted), but we might just see something special in the near future.

When Will We See Chan-Sung Jung Return?

USA TODAY Sports

Event: Fight Night 53
The Fight: Akira Corassani vs. Max Holloway
The Real Fight: Akira Corassani vs. Not Chan-Sung Jung

The Stakes

It has been more than a year since The Korean Zombie was beaten down by Jose Aldo. While he was set to return to action opposite Akira Corassani, the fight fell through when Jung was injured in training. Now, fans are forced to sit back and continue waiting for Chan-Sung Jung's return.

The Question

When will we see Chan-Sung Jung return?

Analysis

It's genuinely saddening how things have panned out for Chan-Sung Jung. He became an overnight sensation when he put on the 2010 Fight of the Year opposite Leonard Garcia and asserted himself as a legitimate contender in 2012 when he finished Dustin Poirier with a D'Arce choke. Unfortunately, injuries have robbed him of the opportunity to continue building his brand, and he has been largely forgotten in the fast-moving featherweight division.

It's tough to tell when we'll see Jung step back into the cage. Here's hoping it is sooner than later, though.

Can Things Possibly Get Worse for Raphael Assuncao?

USA TODAY Sports

Event: Fight Night 54
The Fight: Raphael Assuncao vs. Bryan Caraway 
The Real Fight: Raphael Assuncao vs. Sean Shelby

The Stakes

Raphael Assuncao rides his six-fight winning streak, which includes a win over T.J. Dillashaw, into UFC Fight Night 54. Unfortunately, despite the fact that he beat the current bantamweight champion less than 12 months ago, he finds himself impossibly far from a chance to do so again. Now he faces off with Bryan Caraway in a throwaway fight that sets him up to lose everything or gain nothing.

The Question

Can things possibly get worse for Raphael Assuncao?

Analysis

You have to feel bad for this guy. He beat Dillashaw and was immediately buried on a preliminary card, where he fought a UFC newcomer. He was shot down for no reason when Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao 2 was put together, and the UFC wound up looking the fool when the fight fell through a night earlier. Now he finds himself in a position where Dominick Cruz, after blistering Takeya Mizugaki, is set to step over him for a title shot.

Sometimes, the heartbreaking outcomes in this sport can make you sick.

Will Gunnar Nelson Get a Chance to Break Through to the American Audience?

Event: Fight Night 53
The Fight: Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story 
The Real Fight: Gunnar Nelson vs. Savvy Veteran

The Stakes

Gunnar Nelson already owns four impressive UFC wins in a row and is being set up for a fifth over beatable veteran Rick Story. Nelson's otherworldly grappling skills are well-demonstrated already, but unfortunately, he remains almost entirely unknown among MMA fans due to the UFC's consistent booking him on European cards. Whether or not he beats Story, this fight will do little to increase his popularity (and, as a result, will do little to move him toward a title shot).

The Question

Will Gunnar Nelson get a chance to break through to the American audience?

Analysis

Before Glover Teixeira, there was Gunnar Nelson—a guy who you knew was going to be heavily promoted just because Joe Rogan couldn't shut up about him. 

But while Teixeira was able to parlay wins over a bunch of fringe top-10 jobbers, Nelson was forced to miss most of 2013 due to injuries. From there, he was largely forgotten as the welterweight division added new contenders from Strikeforce like Tyron Woodley, Nate Marquardt, Robbie Lawler and Tarec Saffiedine, saw established veterans like Matt Brown and Dong-Hyun Kim come very close to title contention, endured all manners of Nick Diaz wackiness and lost a champion to the darkness inside his head.

However, while Nelson has come back with three quality wins, his place on the forefront of MMA fans' minds has greatly diminished, and the UFC is doing him few favors in terms of building himself back up. Because of that, win or lose, Nelson gains little from this fight.

Rory MacDonald Totally Has This, Right?

USA TODAY Sports

Event: Fight Night 54
The Fight: Rory MacDonald vs. Tarec Saffiedine
The Real Fight: Rory MacDonald vs. His On-Paper Best Possible Stylistic Matchup

The Stakes

Rory MacDonald and Tarec Saffiedine are set to face off in what should be a fight to decide the next contender for the welterweight title. MacDonald enters the cage with two decisive wins over Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley. Saffiedine enters the cage as the undisputed Strikeforce champion and has quite a winning streak of his own. While both fighters own solid resumes, however, it's hard to imagine this being especially competitive.

The Question

Rory MacDonald totally has this, right?

Analysis

Yeah...Tarec Saffiedine is good, and his striking is immaculate. Unfortunately, Rory MacDonald can confidently stand with Saffiedine and has infinitely better grappling. That makes it tough to imagine this fight being particularly close.

MacDonald will probably maul Saffiedine en route to a convincing decision.