Demetrious Johnson defends his Flyweight belt against Chris Cariaso tonight at the MGM Grand in one of the best cards that the UFC has put on all year from top to bottom featuring a ton of exciting match-ups! ArabsMMA has reached out to our own Mehdi Baghdad, Ray Elbe, Mohammad al Hosani, Aziz Julaidan, and Tam Khan for their opinion on how the fights are going to go down.
Here’s a look at the card, so you can follow along:
UFC 178 (Pay-per-view at 10:00 p.m. ET)
- Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso
- Eddie Alvarez vs. Donald Cerrone
- Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
- Tim Kennedy vs. Yoel Romero
- Amanda Nunes vs. Cat Zingano
Fox Prelims (FOX Sports 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET)
- Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
- James Krause vs. Jorge Masvidal
- Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson
- Brian Ebersole vs. John Howard
Fight Pass Prelims (UFC Fight Pass at 7:00 p.m. ET)
- Kevin Lee vs. Jon Tuck
- Manny Gamburyan vs. Cody Gibson
Mehdi Baghdad
I don’t like watch UFC, but I can’t miss Eddie Alvarez against Donald Cerrone; one of best Bellator fighters versus one of the best from UFC.
My prediction: Cerrone wins via KO or decision. Eddie is not going to find the distance and he doesn’t have good reach. He was never a good striker. Cerrone has really good jabs and good kicks and good distance. This fight is going to be about distance, if Eddie can close the distance he will have a chance. But in my opinion, he doesn’t have enough striking skills to beat Cerrone.
Ray Elbe
Demetrious Johnson VS Chris Cariaso: Demetrious Johnson will be too much on the feet. I expect him to get a TKO victory after pushing the pace early in the first couple of rounds.
Donald Cerrone Vs Eddie Alvarez: This fight has FOTN written all over it. I predict Eddie Alvarez proves to everyone he is a legit top contender picking up a hard fought decision victory against Cerrone.
Conor McGregor Vs Dustin Poirier: McGregor continues to improve and show he is a real threat to anyone in the division. Poirer is a tough opponent, however McGregor will show his improved grappling and pick up the Submission victory.
Tim Kennedy Vs.Yoel Romero: Tim Kennedy took this fight on short notice, but he should have turned it down. Yoel Romero is an Olympian with crazy takedown and brutal striking. Yoel Romero picks up a TKO win
Cat Zingano Vs. Amanda Nunes: Cat Zingano deserves a shot at the UFC belt and will win via ref stoppage against Amanda Nunes to prove that!
Dominick Cruz Vs Takeya Mizugaki: Dominick Cruz finally makes his return! Mizugaki is past his prime, and the flight from Japan to the USA will not be beneficial. Cruz picks up the TKO/KO victory in the 2nd.
Jorge Masvidal Vs. James Krause: Masvidal is an absolute beast. I think he is one of the best strikers in his division in the UFC and his boxing will be showcased against Krause. Masvidal picks up the win in exciting fashion then calls out Alvarez/Cerrone winner.
Patrick Cote Vs Stephen Thompson: Stephen Thomopson is younger, faster, and more explosive than Patrick Cote. While I am a fan of Cote, his window is closing as Thompson is entering the prime of his career. I think Thompson takes a hard fought dec. victory.
Brian Ebersole Vs. John Howard: Ebersole is a grinder. He has decent submission skills and unorthodox striking, however Howard is going to be looking for the KO. If Ebersole can get the takedown and rinse and repeat he can grind his way to a decision victory, if not, Howard has the hands to finish this bout. My prediction is Ebersole comes up short with Howard stuffing enough takedowns to win the decision.
Manny Ganburyan Vs. Cody Gibson: Manny is a veteran and is looking in good shape. Cody Gibson is the betters favorite but I think Manny has another impressive showing in him. My prediction is Manny via submission.
Kevin Lee Vs. Jon Tuck: Jon Tuck is an islander from Guam who has spent time training in Abu Dhabi at the Combat Club. While I really like Jon Tuck, I think stylistically Kevin Lee is a tough fight, and will do just enough to get the decision victory.
Mohammad Hosani
I haven’t been known to give predictions when it comes to MMA, because this sport will always make you look bad due to its unpredictable nature, but this card is just great and warrants a first try.
Johnson vs. Cariaso: I think DJ is the most under-appreciated champion in the UFC today. Actually he is even more under-appreciated than some of the contenders in other divisions, let alone champions. Being trained by Matt Hume is enough for me to enjoy his handiwork and I actually have enjoyed most of his fights. He simply moves like no other fighter I have seen, except for maybe Dominic Cruz. I predict another technical display from the Champ, and I won’t be surprised if he finishes this one. DJ by KO/TKO.
Cerrone vs. Alvarez: For hardcore fans, this is the real main event and the toughest fight to predict. It is so great to see Alvarez finally making it into the UFC. I think he will win in a very exciting fight. It doesn’t matter who wins for me just as long as the fight delivers on its promise. Alvarez by KO/TKO.
McGregor vs. Poirier: Another great fight that promises to have the crowd invested in. There is no question who the star of this fight is, but this will be the biggest fight in McGregor’s career. The only way I see Poirier winning is through using his submission grappling credentials and staying away from McGregor’s unorthodox style of attacks. But I will go out on a limb and say McGregor wins this by decision.
This is the best UFC card from top to bottom this year (at least on paper). Dominic Cruz and Cat Zingano make their returns from long layoffs, and possibly get back to title shots if they both win their respective fights.
Aziz Julaidan
I am excited for Cerrone vs Alvarez, both are exciting fighters, Alvarez is an MMA veteran and bellator LW champion. I predict he will win in his UFC debut by TKO.
Demetrious Johnson vs. Chris Cariaso: Demetrious Johnson wins by decision
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier: Dustin Poirier by TKO
Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki: Dominick Cruz by decision
Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson: Patrick Cote by submission
Tam Khan
I think Dominick Cruz will struggle with rust, but hang in to get the rounds in and slowly show himself back to peak.
I think Fight of the Night will be Mcgregor and Poitier. Mcgregor will prove he is the real deal by a dominating performance. He is on a mission and will take the likes of Aldo to stop him
Also cerrone will spoil Alvarez debut by showing the difference from Ufc and Bellator and pull of a TKO win Alvarez has a hard debut with cerrone and again it will be an explosive fight also.
On the whole amazing card and all the fights will be exciting. The only fight I see maybe an upset occur is also with Cruz he will win BUT I wouldn’t be shocked if the lay off ruins his game don’t be shocked an upset could be on the cards.
[divider]Feel free to share your own predictions in the comments section below!
