UFC 178 emanates Saturday, September 26, 2014, from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Last Word on Sports’ MMA Department brings to you their fight picks and analysis for the upcoming event.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (c) vs. Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso
James Carlucci, Daniel Richeson, Trent Dozier, Todd Parkinson, Michael Hutchinson: Johnson
“On a card filled with super-close fights and fun, intriguing match-ups, the main event should be a blow out. Demetrious Johnson is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet, and Chris Cariaso simply isn’t. Cariaso has won three in a row, yet the level of opposition doesn’t have me thinking that he even deserves this shot. TJ Dillashaw taught us in his victory over Renan Barao that anything is possible in MMA, but Johnson should roll to a win here; a decision, submission, or knockout are all on the table. The champ should be able to do whatever he wants.” – Dozier
Donald “The Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez
Carlucci, Dozier, Hutchinson – Cerrone
Richeson, Parkinson – Alvarez
“Where the outcome of the main event is obvious, this is the one fight on the card that it seems like no one can hold a firm prediction for. You have an elite striker in Donald Cerrone: a man looking for his fourth win in 2014 and a guy who has only lost to the biggest names of the lightweight division. Then, you have the dangerous Eddie Alvarez: an all-around amazing fighter who has yet to face the best of the UFC, but has beaten the best in the world outside of the organization. This one will be a coin flip, and just based off of “Cowboy” being the more active fighter in the past two years, I give him the edge over the UFC newcomer.” – Hutchinson
Dustin “The Diamon” Poirier vs. “The Notorious” Conor McGregor
Carlucci, Dozier, Parkinson: McGregor
Richeson, Hutchinson: Poirier
“The McGregor hype train is barreling down the tracks, with UFC 178 being just its latest stop. Poirier is certainly a viable contender in the UFC’s featherweight division, but he also has a style tailor-made for McGregor, as the Lafayette, Louisiana-native loves to rush his opponents and has shown a tendency to get clipped early. Poirier may have the ability to recover when he’s against someone on the level of Akira Corissani, but against someone on the level of McGregor his first mistake will be one too many.” – Carlucci
Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero
Carlucci, Dozier, Parkinson: Romero
Richeson, Hutchinson: Kennedy
“Kennedy will face something that he has not encountered in an MMA fight in a long time: a superior wrestler. Romero is by far the strongest man in that division, and he will prove that he is top-10 material by throwing Kennedy around with ease. Kennedy will come back in the third round to actually take Romero down and will beat him with some punches, but it will not be enough to make up for what Romero does in the first two rounds. Romero 29-28 for the unanimous verdict.” – Parkinson
“Alpha” Cat Zingano vs. Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes
Carlucci, Richeson, Dozier, Parkinson, Hutchinson: Zingano
“After a long layoff full of tragedy and injury, Cat looks to extend her undefeated streak against the vicious Amanda Nunes. Expect to see a hard wrestling attack from Zingano and possibly some set ups with leg kicks and even head kicks to create spacing. With her purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, I expect Zingano to attack constantly with submissions and transitions, and come away with the victory.” – Richeson
Undercard Radar:
Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Carlucci, Richeson, Dozier, Parkinson, Hutchinson: Cruz
“Dominick Cruz has returned! Finally, after nearly three years of injuries, near-returns, and more injuries, fans get to see one of the best in the world ply his craft in the cage. Cruz takes on Takeya Mizugaki, who is fresh off a five-fight win streak. I don’t see where Cruz can’t beat him but the one thing that will test his real mettle is ring rust. Three years of non-competitive training and rehab will show in the cage. Hopefully Cruz will return to his former self in the opening round and this can be a glorious return for the former champ.”- Richeson
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