UFC 178 took place on Saturday, September 27th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the evening UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson dominated challenger Chris Cariaso, earning a submission victory in round two to defend his title.
While Johnson looked impressive as always, his bout with Cariaso was overshadowed by the impressive displays of mixed martial arts that took place earlier in the evening.
Both former UFC Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano made stunning returns to the octagon following their respective layoffs. Cruz, who had been out of action for three years due to injury made quick work of fifth ranked Takeya Mizugaki, finishing the fight in just over a minute, Cruz’s first UFC finish. As for Zingano, she was also on the shelf due to injury, and after taking a beating from Amanda Nunes in round one, Zingano made a huge comeback, finishing Nunes via TKO in round three.
In addition, we saw some controversy in knockout victories in favor of Yoel Romero and Conor McGregor, both impressive nonetheless; and saw Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone earn his fifth straight victory, defeating former Bellator Lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez via unanimous decision.
Full UFC 178 results below.
Main card:
Demetrious Johnson def. Chris Cariaso via submission (kimura) – Round 2, 2:29
Donald Cerrone def. Eddie Alvarez via unanimous decision (29-28,29-28,29-28)
Conor McGregor def. Dustin Poirier via TKO – Round 1, 1:46
Yoel Romero def Tim Kennedy via TKO – Round 3, 0;58
Cat Zingano def. Amanda Nunes via TKO – Round 3, 1;21
Preliminary Card:
Dominick Cruz def. Takeya Mizugaki via TKO – Round 1, 1:01
Jorge Masvidal def. James Krause via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Stephen Thompson def. Patrick Cote via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Brian Ebersole def. John Howard via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Kevin Lee def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Manvel Gamburyan def. Cody Gibson via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:56
Of The Night Awards:
Fight of the Night:
Performances of the Night: