UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso — Live Results & Commentary


(Look, if the UFC isn’t promoting the main event, then we won’t either. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso is underway in Las Vegas, featuring an utterly stacked lineup of crowd-friendly fight-finishers (see esp.: Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez), brilliant self-promoters (Conor McGregor!), eccentric Cuban wrestlers (Yoel Romero), and people who we just haven’t seen in a long time (Dominick Cruz, Cat Zingano). And oh yeah — a flyweight title fight. It should be a wild ride from top to bottom, and we’re psyched about it.

Our man Alex Giardini we’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the UFC 178 pay-per-view card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on Twitter for bonus commentary. Thanks for being here.


(Look, if the UFC isn’t promoting the main event, then we won’t either. / Photo via Getty)

UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso is underway in Las Vegas, featuring an utterly stacked lineup of crowd-friendly fight-finishers (see esp.: Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez), brilliant self-promoters (Conor McGregor!), eccentric Cuban wrestlers (Yoel Romero), and people who we just haven’t seen in a long time (Dominick Cruz, Cat Zingano). And oh yeah — a flyweight title fight. It should be a wild ride from top to bottom, and we’re psyched about it.

Our man Alex Giardini we’ll be giving you round-by-round results from the UFC 178 pay-per-view card after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and follow us on Twitter for bonus commentary. Thanks for being here.

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS
– Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
– James Krause vs. Jorge Masvidal
– Stephen Thompson def. Patrick Cote via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27)
– Brian Ebersole def. John Howard via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Kevin Lee def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (30-26 x 3; Tuck had a point deducted in round 2 for a groin kick)
– Manny Gamburyan def. Cody Gibson via submission (guillotine choke), 4:56 of round 2

Please stand by…

What Your Favorite Fighter Says About You: 2014 Edition

It’s been quite a while since we first penned our “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About Youlists and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy. 

CONOR MCGREGOR

You know a lotta tings and don’t take no shit from nobody. Your style is only outmatched by your swagger, which you often describe as “crisp perfection.” You are either Irish, or tell everyone you know that you are despite being as Irish as the average Redskins fan is Cherokee. While not exactly being a paranoid schizophrenic, you think that everyone else in a given room is either afraid of you or trying to violently harm you. You’re relatively new to MMA and have never actually trained, but your bar brawling expertise has led you to claim that you could defeat any top 5 fighter in your weight class with one good punch. Your favorite flower is the daisy because you can take its head clean off.

Favorite Fight: McGregor vs. Brimage

It’s been quite a while since we first penned our “What Your Favorite Fighter Says About Youlists and a lot has changed in the time since. While some of our choices are even more relevant now than they were when the list was originally published, most of them seem either inaccurate or simply out of date in light of current circumstances. Knowing what we know now, we’ve decided to update our list to align with today’s MMA landscape. Enjoy. 

CONOR MCGREGOR

You know a lotta tings and don’t take no shit from nobody. Your style is only outmatched by your swagger, which you often describe as “crisp perfection.” You are either Irish, or tell everyone you know that you are despite being as Irish as the average Redskins fan is Cherokee. While not exactly being a paranoid schizophrenic, you think that everyone else in a given room is either afraid of you or trying to violently harm you. You’re relatively new to MMA and have never actually trained, but your bar brawling expertise has led you to claim that you could defeat any top 5 fighter in your weight class with one good punch. Your favorite flower is the daisy because you can take its head clean off.

Favorite Fight: McGregor vs. Brimage

DONALD CERRONE

You’re just here for the party, y’all. In fact, when you aren’t chasing the ultimate adrenaline high that can only be captured by extreme mountain biking or nude skydiving, you’re chasing tail around parts unknown while getting blackout wasted on rotgut whiskey. You have at least one regrettable tattoo, either a tribal armband or the Japanese symbol for “Virtue” (which actually means “seafood salad”), yet claim to live by the motto “no regrets.” Your favorite movie is Point Break, and you always secretly cry at the end. You are white, you voted McCain, and F*CK YEAH YOU’LL LISTEN TO SOME DAVID ALLAN COE!

Favorite Fight: Cerrone vs. Guillard

DAN HENDERSON

See: Hughes, M from our previous list.

Favorite Fight: Hendo vs. Bisping. UH-DOI!!

JON JONES

You are supremely arrogant and don’t respond well to authority, yet list yourself as “down to Earth” on your Instagram profile, which you are constantly updating with selfies hashtaged #blessed and #overcome. Likewise, you are not someone most people would call “witty”, yet feel you are actually a lot more clever than people think you are. You have never lost an argument/debate in your life, likely because you refer to everyone who disagrees with you as a “hater” before dismissing them with a wanking hand gesture. Friends have never been overabundant in your life, but that’s cool, because they were just holding you back from the greatness you were destined to achieve. You’re not religious, per se, but you definitely consider yourself “spiritual.” Basically, you are full of shit.

Favorite fight: Bones vs. Shogun

RONDA ROUSEY

You are supremely arrogant confident and don’t respond well to authority. You’re not an asshole, just someone who’s overflowing with realness. You are either a teenage girl or a single adult male, and high school is/was a hellish nightmare scenario filled with constant ridicule and a whole heap of self-esteem issues. Discipline and determination fuels your every move in life, to the point that you cannot physically relax anymore without feeling guilty afterwards. You’ve been a supporter of women’s MMA since the *very* beginning (Carano) and think anyone who criticizes a WMMA fight is a misogynist.

Favorite Fight: Rousey vs. Tate 1

THIAGO SILVA

You are a misogynist, and think O.J. just got a bad rap.

Favorite Fight: The Ray Rice elevator footage

KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV

You watch way, way too much MMA, and have been since at least ’95. You constantly lament to your friends about how oversaturation is directly leading to the downfall of the sport, and how Fight Pass is a waste of goddamn money, and how the flyweight division is way more exciting than it’s being given credit for, etc. They never have any idea what you’re talking about, just like when you’re screaming for this kabob guy to attempt something called a “full guard sweep” while watching the FS1 prelims. You’ve done some unconventional wrestling in your day, and long to leave the constraints of a technology-based world behind to shack up in a log cabin in the woods where no one can bother you. You’re idol is Gary Busey.

Favorite Fight: Nurmagomedov vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev, which you can totally spell on the first try.

GINA CARANO 

You are incredibly f*cking hard to deal with. You…wait, what were we talking about again?

J. Jones

Injury Roundup: Jose Aldo Hospitalized With Kidney Stones, Conor McGregor Rumored to Have Busted Hand

(Because fuck it, this video is just *adorable*.)

EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN, ALRIGHT!! Jose Aldo‘s UFC 179 rematch with Chad Mendes is not — I repeat, is not — in danger of being cancelled. UFC 179 WILL NOT be a repeat of UFC 176 a.k.a “The event that Jose Aldo’s cervical spine injury murdered.” And just because Aldo has said he was fine when he was injured in the past, only to later pull out of a fight because he *wasn’t* actually fine, doesn’t mean he’ll do it again. So just CALM. DOWN.

But yes, several of the UFC’s totally reliable sources have confirmed that Jose Aldo did spend a day laid up in the hospital due to a kidney stone, which he expelled within the day and was released. As Aldo’s coach and manager Andre Pederneiras told Combate:

Aldo has this renal calculi issue since he was 16 years old. After his fight against ‘Korean Zombie,’ he also expelled a stone. Same thing last week. It started with a little pain, he was then hospitalized, took some serum and anti-inflammatory, and then he expelled the stone.

For all you dum-dums out there, “renal calculi” is just doctor speak for a kidney stone. But again, EVERYTHING IS FINE…

OK, NOW WE CAN PANIC!!!!


(Because fuck it, this video is just *adorable*.)

EVERYONE JUST CALM DOWN, ALRIGHT!! Jose Aldo‘s UFC 179 rematch with Chad Mendes is not — I repeat, is not – in danger of being cancelled. UFC 179 WILL NOT be a repeat of UFC 176 a.k.a “The event that Jose Aldo’s cervical spine injury murdered.” And just because Aldo has said he was fine when he was injured in the past, only to later pull out of a fight because he *wasn’t* actually fine, doesn’t mean he’ll do it again. So just CALM. DOWN.

But yes, several of the UFC’s totally reliable sources have confirmed that Jose Aldo did spend a day laid up in the hospital due to a kidney stone, which he expelled within the day and was released. As Aldo’s coach and manager Andre Pederneiras told Combate:

Aldo has this renal calculi issue since he was 16 years old. After his fight against ‘Korean Zombie,’ he also expelled a stone. Same thing last week. It started with a little pain, he was then hospitalized, took some serum and anti-inflammatory, and then he expelled the stone.

For all you dum-dums out there, “renal calculi” is just doctor speak for a kidney stone. But again, EVERYTHING IS FINE…

OK, NOW WE CAN PANIC!!!!

Although the information is uquestionable at best and the evidence unsubstantiated, rumors are circlulating that Conor McGregor might have hurt his hand while training a few weeks ago in Ireland. The injury was first reported by Dave Meltzer, and started gaining credence after McGregor was shown donning a bandaged hand in the first episode of UFC 178 Embedded.

Of course there are *also* rumors going around that McGregor could have faked the injury to get in Dustin Poirier‘s head, because he’s just that much of a gamer. That Conor was not wearing the bandage during his media day appearance also seems to indicate that even if his hand was injured, it was likely something minor that has since been dealt with. I know, my insightful journalism skillz are blowing your minds right now.

We will keep you updated if any information breaks regarding either Aldo or McGregor.

J. Jones

The 17 Greatest Quotes From ‘Countdown to UFC 178?

Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is unquestionably the best talker in the UFC. That’s an indisputable truth in the post-Chael era, and it becomes even more apparent when you watch McGregor’s segment of the new “Countdown to UFC 178” preview special. But it turns out that new lightweight acquisition Eddie Alvarez is a quote factory himself, so we decided to pick out his (and the other featured fighters’) best lines from the show, for your education and enjoyment.

Videos and quotes continue after the jump. UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Get pumped.

*****

“Although fans might not know who I am, I’m willing to bet every fighter in this division knows who I am.” — Eddie Alvarez

“There’s a lot of really talented guys at 155, whether it’s jiu-jitsu, really talented wrestlers, really talented strikers. But then there’s fighters. That’s what I’m good at. There’s no one better at giving damage and taking damage than myself.” — Alvarez

“I used to wonder why I always do all these crazy things, like what’s the purpose? Why do I want to jump off buildings and swing from ropes and ride four-wheelers and wakeboarding and do everything crazy? ‘Cause it gives you this feeling, like this scared feeling, you know? That same feeling is the same feeling you get right before you walk out to a cage. I’m searching for that feeling and there it is, every time I fight, it’s like the scariest feeling in the entire world.” — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

Irish featherweight Conor McGregor is unquestionably the best talker in the UFC. That’s an indisputable truth in the post-Chael era, and it becomes even more apparent when you watch McGregor’s segment of the new “Countdown to UFC 178″ preview special. But it turns out that new lightweight acquisition Eddie Alvarez is a quote factory himself, so we decided to pick out his (and the other featured fighters’) best lines from the show, for your education and enjoyment.

Videos and quotes continue after the jump. UFC 178: Johnson vs. Cariaso goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Get pumped.

*****

“Although fans might not know who I am, I’m willing to bet every fighter in this division knows who I am.” — Eddie Alvarez

“There’s a lot of really talented guys at 155, whether it’s jiu-jitsu, really talented wrestlers, really talented strikers. But then there’s fighters. That’s what I’m good at. There’s no one better at giving damage and taking damage than myself.” — Alvarez

“I used to wonder why I always do all these crazy things, like what’s the purpose? Why do I want to jump off buildings and swing from ropes and ride four-wheelers and wakeboarding and do everything crazy? ‘Cause it gives you this feeling, like this scared feeling, you know? That same feeling is the same feeling you get right before you walk out to a cage. I’m searching for that feeling and there it is, every time I fight, it’s like the scariest feeling in the entire world.” — Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone

“You’re telling me you’re gonna pay me X amount of dollars to fight, and then if I do really good you’re gonna give me $50,000 more dollars? I feel like when I step in the Octagon I get one of those wind machines where the fuckin’ bills are flying everywhere and I’m just scooping as much as I can…I don’t understand why everyone doesn’t just fight their ass off. Like if that doesn’t give you enough to just put it all on the line, I don’t know what would.” — Cerrone

“I met my wife when I was 15 years old. I got in a fight at a playground, and none of my friends jumped in, but my wife jumped in. And I said, ‘Man, I’m gonna marry this girl’.” — Alvarez

“Cowboy, he does well if you give him space, but it won’t be like that. It’s a different story here. I’m the boss. I say what’s gonna happen.” — Alvarez

“Them lights are gonna hit me, and you’re gonna see a high-paced, violent fight.” — Alvarez

“I believe not one of these athletes in the UFC understand what the fuck is happenin’. They don’t know what’s goin’ on with this crazy Irishman runnin’ in looking to take their head clean off.” — Conor McGregor

“I remember I walked into the cage, I stood before [Diego Brandao] and blew him a kiss. And he bowed before me. I remember that. I felt he was broke before the contest.” — McGregor

“Conor McGregor seems like a good athlete, he seems like a decent counter-puncher. But, he also seems like a scumbag.” — Dustin Poirier

“I walk the walk, you know? Conor talks the talk. And we’ll see if he’s really about it September 27th.” — Poirier

“I’m committed to this game 100%, and I’m going to be a world champion in the UFC. And Conor, he’s a clown. He’s a joke to me.” — Poirier

“…and then you’ve got me, a slick, handsome Irish kid that takes no shit, that uses his brain, and has climbed to the top of the game quicker than anyone else has done it.” — McGregor

“Dustin’s little pea-head is gonna get removed, it’s gonna get put into my collection, and I’m gonna get on my way to gold.” — McGregor

“He’s just an average journeyman fighter. He’s okay everywhere. He’s basic everywhere, he’s nothin’ that jumps off the page, he’s not flashy, he hasn’t got KO power — you know, that stiffened, curled-toes power. He hasn’t got that. I don’t feel he has anything for me. I’ll beat him everywhere.” — McGregor

“No worries, you have a good night.” — Demetrious Johnson, after smoking somebody in a video game. Man, this guy just can’t bring himself to talk trash, huh. It’s tough when everybody else is in a grudge match but you.

“Wherever the fight goes, I feel like I have the advantage.” — Chris Cariaso, massive underdog, saying words.

Friday Links: Josh Koscheck Gets a New Desk Job, ‘Killa B’ Back in the UFC, Girls Dressed Like Ninja Turtles + More

(“I *SAY* TINGS, AND DEN I GO OUT AND *DO* DUM. AND PEOPLE DAYW ME WHEN I *SAY* DEM. UNTIL I GO AND *DO* DUM.” / Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Josh Koscheck Joins FOX Sports 1 Broadcast Desk for ‘Bader vs. St. Preux’ (UFC on FOX)

NSAC Files Formal Complaint Against Wanderlei Silva (MMAJunkie)

With Titan FC’s Blessing, Ben Saunders Returns to UFC (MMAFighting)

UFC Announcer Mike Goldberg to Call Two NFL Games This Upcoming Season (Sherdog)

You’re Massively Underprepared For A Fight – Here’s The Most Important Lesson You Need (AskMen)

Girls Dressed Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Radass)

The Worst Video Games of the ’90s (Gamefront)

Do Movies With Intentionally Misspelled Titles Always Suck? An Investigation (ScreenJunkies)

Check Out Greg Oden’s Hilarious Mugshot (EveryJoe)

Be Glad They’re Extinct: 3 Bizarre Dinosaurs You Never Learned About (DoubleViking)

Nicki Minaj’s Latest Photoshoot for Fader Magazine (DrunkenStepfather)

Fake Video of “Drunk Wife Makes Grilled Cheeses” Goes Viral (PopHangover)

Petition Wants “Weird Al” Yankovic For Super Bowl XLIX Half-Time Show (EscapistMagazine)


(“I *SAY* TINGS, AND DEN I GO OUT AND *DO* DUM. AND PEOPLE DAYW ME WHEN I *SAY* DEM. UNTIL I GO AND *DO* DUM.” / Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

Josh Koscheck Joins FOX Sports 1 Broadcast Desk for ‘Bader vs. St. Preux’ (UFC on FOX)

NSAC Files Formal Complaint Against Wanderlei Silva (MMAJunkie)

With Titan FC’s Blessing, Ben Saunders Returns to UFC (MMAFighting)

UFC Announcer Mike Goldberg to Call Two NFL Games This Upcoming Season (Sherdog)

You’re Massively Underprepared For A Fight – Here’s The Most Important Lesson You Need (AskMen)

Girls Dressed Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Radass)

The Worst Video Games of the ’90s (Gamefront)

Do Movies With Intentionally Misspelled Titles Always Suck? An Investigation (ScreenJunkies)

Check Out Greg Oden’s Hilarious Mugshot (EveryJoe)

Be Glad They’re Extinct: 3 Bizarre Dinosaurs You Never Learned About (DoubleViking)

Nicki Minaj’s Latest Photoshoot for Fader Magazine (DrunkenStepfather)

Fake Video of “Drunk Wife Makes Grilled Cheeses” Goes Viral (PopHangover)

Petition Wants “Weird Al” Yankovic For Super Bowl XLIX Half-Time Show (EscapistMagazine)

Barnburner Alert: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier a Go for UFC 178


(“No, I’d rather not fight Ronda Rousey at UFC 176. Why would you ask me that, Joe?” Photo via Getty.)

Maybe it’s just me, but people seem to be riding pretty high on this Conor McGregor character following his first round destruction of Diego Brandao at what Kevin Iole referred to as “the greatest UFC event of all time” with 100% sincerity. Great job, Kevin. I hope Dana gave you the week off for partaking in such blatant shillery.

Right, back to McGregor. Following his win over Brandao, the Irish phenom was called out by Dustin Poirier on Twitter, who had a late September matchup in mind. McGregor quickly agreed at the Fight Night 46 press conference, and as luck would have it, they are now set to meet at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II on September 27th.

“The fights were good and the crowd loved the show.” — Kevin Iole, describing UFC 75 to his fullest capabilities before declaring Fight Night 46 as the greatest UFC event of all time. If you ever thought this MMA writing stuff was easy, you’re right.

I’m sorry, I keep getting off track. Anyway, here’s what Poirier had to say about McGregor and how he carries himself on The MMA Hour yesterday. Spoiler: It is not exactly a ringing endorsement…


(“No, I’d rather not fight Ronda Rousey at UFC 176. Why would you ask me that, Joe?” Photo via Getty.)

Maybe it’s just me, but people seem to be riding pretty high on this Conor McGregor character following his first round destruction of Diego Brandao at what Kevin Iole referred to as “the greatest UFC event of all time” with 100% sincerity. Great job, Kevin. I hope Dana gave you the week off for partaking in such blatant shillery.

Right, back to McGregor. Following his win over Brandao, the Irish phenom was called out by Dustin Poirier on Twitter, who had a late September matchup in mind. McGregor quickly agreed at the Fight Night 46 press conference, and as luck would have it, they are now set to meet at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II on September 27th.

“The fights were good and the crowd loved the show.” — Kevin Iole, describing UFC 75 to his fullest capabilities before declaring Fight Night 46 as the greatest UFC event of all time. If you ever thought this MMA writing stuff was easy, you’re right.

I’m sorry, I keep getting off track. Anyway, here’s what Poirier had to say about McGregor and how he carries himself on The MMA Hour yesterday. Spoiler: It is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

I mean, come on man. The guy runs his mouth too much. Right off the bat I’m fired up about this guy. I’ve been in this division since the WEC merged (with UFC), I’ve paid my dues and I’ve stayed quiet and busted my ass day in and day out. I’ve won the fights that I’ve needed to win, I’ve had some tough fights. I feel like I need to be up there. I need to be up there where people are talking about me. His name in the same sentence as featherweight title should never come out of anybody’s mouth.

I can’t believe the hype this guy is getting man. I think he is over-hyped, no doubt about it, 100 percent. And to tell you the honest truth, I feel like I should be fighting Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes and Cub Swanson again. I should be fighting the top guys. But, I’ve asked for those fights and I haven’t got them. What should I do?

The answer is simple, Dustin: Find yourself a big audience and then just start spewing nonsense until you become a commodity. It’s worked for all of the UFC’s heavy hitters: Rousey, Jones, Sonnen, Iole, and so on.

Look, I know everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but calling Fight Night 46 the greatest UFC event of all time is just poppycock. Pure, unadulterated, poppycock. What has the UFC done with your soul, Iole? What are you going to tell me next, that the Phantom Menace is your favorite Star Wars movie? When you finished the final sentence of that article, did a single tear roll down your eye? Or have the years spent transforming from a legitimate reporter into a UFC PR robot eradicated your ability to emote? I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION, DAMN YOU.

………….

Also being rumored for UFC 178 is a welterweight showdown between top contenders Tarec Saffiedine and Rory MacDonald. The former is fresh off a decision win Hyun Gyu Lim in one of the greatest brawls of the year so far. The latter is on the heels of a dominant return to form over Tyron Woodley at UFC 174. So that should be fun.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go punch some trees in Minecraft until my Iole rage dissipates.

J. Jones