UFC 178 has to be one of the oddest MMA cards devised in recent memory. It was also one of the best.
The reason behind its head-scratchingness is simple. First, the card was astoundingly deep, rife with a richness of talent and storylines rare in an age when the average pay-per-view event is only a mile marker on the larger interstate of fandom. But at the same time, it was bereft in the spot that usually matters most.
That’s the main event we’re talking about, where flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended the strap against Chris Cariaso, a plucky challenger who nevertheless had never defeated a serious contender in the thin 125-pound division when the UFC deposited this title fight in his lap.
As for Johnson himself, he’s garnered a reputation as one of MMA’s most talented competitors, but isn’t exactly the go-to guy when you want to generate copy for a fight card.
Luckily, Johnson got a little help from his friends. The charisma cavalry came in the form of one Conor McGregor, the 26-year-old Irish sensation who has earned a frenzied following after only three contests in the UFC Octagon. The Blarney-blessed knockout artist wasted no time making his fight with Dustin Poirier—easily his toughest opponent to date—an intensely personal matchup, and fans around the world were tuned up accordingly.
McGregor, as is becoming his habit, quickly outshone the rest of the card with his bottomless appetite for interviews and adoration, but there were metaphorical powder kegs metaphorically stashed across the MGM Grand Garden Arena when the curtain rose Saturday evening.
Former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez made his debut against the hard-charging Donald Cerrone; no way that one doesn’t end with some fireworks. And former UFC bantamweight titlist Dominick Cruz returned to action after three long years of recovery from a litany of serious injuries.
And there was plenty more intrigue to go around. As usual, the final stat lines only reveal so much. Here are the real winners and losers from UFC 178. (Full card results available at the end, if you’re one of those types.)