A night of excellent fights meant UFC178 more than lived up to its hype as one of the most exciting and fast-paced fight cards of the year.
From the MGM Grand Garden arena 22 fighters left it all in the cage; the audience was not disappointed.
In the main event UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson successfully defended his title with a second-round submission of challenger Chris Cariaso.
The first meaningful action was initiated by Johnson, double-legging Cariaso into the side of the cage and displaying a solid passing game.
Cariaso brought the fight to the fight back to standing but was immediately tagged with an overhand right and left knee at the bell, which rocked the challenger and forced him to attempt a takedown as Round 1 came to a close.
In the second Johnson turned up the heat, cutting off the cage and forcing the action. Pouncing on a Cariaso slip, Johnson swiftly passed the guard and started roughing his opponent from top position, eventually transitioning to the Kimura and using it to force Cariaso to submit.
What next for the man they call Mighty Mouse? He is cleaning out the division and is in need of another challenger. The search begins.
In the co-main event Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone took a unanimous decision over longtime Bellator 155 pound kingpin Eddie Alverez.
Cerrone entered the cage looking the bigger man as Alverez looked to use his boxing skills to close the distance for the takedown, which showed success in Round 1 as Cerrone struggled to deal with his fast-paced opponent.
In Round 2 Cerrone came out kicking, concentrating on the body and Alvarez’s lead leg. This attack continued through to Round 3, as Alvarez struggled to cope with his opponent’s attack and the vision in his right eye, culminating with Alvarez’s lead leg giving way. Cerrone followed his man to the ground but was unable to finish before the final horn.
Cerrone has now won five on the trot and looks maybe one fight away from a title shot. As for Alvarez, this should be a wakeup call. Given the apparent size difference, maybe a move down to 145 pounds would be prudent – and a date with Frankie Edgar would be a mouth-watering match-up.
In an earlier fight, bearded Irishman Conor McGregor displayed his elite level with a first-round KO of Justin Poirier. There had been a lot of words between the two fighters in the run-up to the event and this was apparent at both the weigh-ins and at the stare-down prior to the fight.
Things started fast from the outset, with McGregor looking to land kicks from long range before moving in close to use his hands. In a match more resembling a K-1 MAX fight both combatants landed on the other before McGregor landed a left look behind the ear of Poirior, dropping the American to the mat before finishing with follow-up strikes on the floor.
There is currently a lot of hype around McGregor and he has just taken a big step towards title contention with this impressive victory.
Former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz showed none of the expected ring-rust as he finished his Japanese opponent Takeya Mizugaki with ground-and-pound strikes in Round 1.
Cruz started by moving fast around the cage with his hands low as Mizugaki looked to walk him down. Following a Cruz double-leg Mizugaki went to his knees, allowing the former champion to open up with strikes.
The strikes continued to rain down, the Japanese probably taking six or seven more punches than he really should have done as referee Chris Tognoni was slow to step in.
In other fights Yoel Romero dispatched Tim Kennedy with strikes early in Round 3, and Cat Zingano maintained her #1 Contender spot to Ronda Rousey’s crown with a victory over Amanda Nunes.
All in all an extremely entertaining event filled with fighters from the lighter-weight divisions. It is fantastic the UFC have started to push the smaller fighters because while everyone may like watching heavyweights, the biggest stars in boxing (Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao) both campaign at 146 pounds.
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