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UFC 178 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round report for stacked card from Las Vegas
Sep 27, 2014 - 11:35:44 PM UFC 178 LIVE RESULTS: Penick's round by round report for stacked card from Las Vegas

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC 178
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

=====UFC Fight Pass Prelims Quick Results=====

-Manny Gamburyan def. Cody Gibson via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:56 of the second round

Note: Incredible come from behind win from Gamburyan after nearly getting stopped on a couple of occasions in the fight. He got knocked down after a reset from a brutal nut shot as he used up the full five minutes and still didn't look ready to go, then regained his bearings and eventually found that choke at the end of the round. Massively unexpected.

-Kevin Lee def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Note: Tuck was deducted a point for a groin shot in a bad moment from ref Jason Herzog. Lee's top game and damage won him the fight overall, but Tuck was in it until the end, just got beat up a bit on the ground and couldn't apply a submission.


=====Fox Sports 1 Prelims=====

-After a quick intro from Goldberg (who has already been off his game even more than normal tonight) and Rogan, it's on to the first fight.

PRELIM FIGHT ONE: JOHN HOWARD VS. BRIAN EBERSOLE (WELTERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Howard took the center and moved forward. Ebersole got through with a right hand. He got in a solid kick as well. Howard landed a left hand. Howard got in some short strikes in a clinch. Ebersol threw some knees to the legs. They were separated after stalling out. Ebersole landed a good leg kick as Howard moved in. Ebersole landed a body kick. Howard threw a leg kick, but Ebersole timed it well and scored a takedown. Ebersole snuck to his back as Howard tried to grab a choke. Ebersole got in some ground and pound as he held control of Howard's body. Howard got to the cage, but Ebersole took his back and rolled with him to hold back mount. He only had one hook in, but he kept working for position. Howard tried to scramble out, and got to his feet, but Ebersole stayed on his back. Howard shook him off, and Ebersole threw an illegal upkick as Howard took a knee to get into his guard. Action was halted, and restarted on the feet. Howard came forward throwing strikes, but Ebersole covered up to the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Ebersole. Clear round for the man sporting the "hairrow." Solid ground control and he out-struck Howard as well.

ROUND TWO: Howard landed a hard leg kick to start the attack, then landed a couple of strikes before a brief clinch. Things slowed down a bit from both for the next minute. Howard continued to press forward. Ebersole shot in but got held up in a clinch. Howard got a body lock and scored a solid takedown. He passed to half guard and tried to score some ground and pound. Ebersole tried to reverse him, but Howard held position and landed strikes. Howard looked for a kimura, and in a scramble after Howard avoided getting reversed and instead got Ebersole's back himself. Howard went for a neck crank, but let it go. Ebersole tried to spin out, but Howard held position. He spun again and got on top. Howard kicked him off and went for another takedown. He completed it at the cage. Ebersole landed some elbows from the bottom, but Howard ended the round on top.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Howard. He evened things up there with positional dominance for a majority of the round.

ROUND THREE: Howard landed a couple of hard strikes to start things out. Ebersole pawed out a few jabs. Ebersole got in a good leg kick, then covered up as Howard threw several strikes. Ebersole grabbed a front headlock standing, but gave it up. They traded strikes in the clinch. Ebersole separated with an elbow. Ebersole got in a right hand. Howard threw a couple and Ebersole clinched again. They traded more minor strikes. Ebersole shot in and Howard stuffed it with a choke attempt. Ebersole got his head out and landed another elbow to separate. Howard landed a hard inside leg kick. Ebersole landed a few body kicks. Howard landed a combination as Ebersole covered up. Howard shot in but gave it up to clinch. Howard connected on a left as they separated. Howard kept Ebersole backed up, though Ebersole pawed out some strikes. Ebersole shot in and got stuffed. Howard separated with a combo. He landed another hard leg kick. They traded more strikes in another clinch, each landing some significant offense. Howard landed another right hand to separate.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Howard. I guess. Close round, really can see either getting the nod, meaning we're likely getting a split decision here. Just not enough clear offense from either to take over the round entirely.

WINNER: Ebersole via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (*) Mostly dull fight, entirely skippable. Can't be mad at the decision, though Howard absolutely was, as the third round was close and left open to interpretation.


PRELIM FIGHT TWO: STEPHEN THOMPSON VS. PATRICK COTE (WELTERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Cote opened with a couple of leg kicks. Thompson moved to a side stance but didn't get a strike in before Cote closed in and clinched. Cote tried to work from a body lock, but Thompson stuffed it. They finally separated. Thompson landed a left hand, with Cote throwing a couple of combos. Thompson scored a nice jab. Thompson landed a solid jab with a strike behind. Thompson landed a good kick to the body, countering a strike from Cote. Thompson landed a hard body kick that Cote caught. Cote drove him to the cage, but Thompson did a nice job defending the takedown attempt at the cage. He briefly spun out and landed a right hand. He got in some hard knees to the body. Cote tried for a throw, but got stuffed, and Thompson landed several strikes after the scramble. Cote landed a leg kick. Thompson tried to close distance, and Cote rushed him back. Thompson barely missed a high kick. Cote shot in again but got stuffed at the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Thompson. More overall offense, and he stuffed each takedown attempt. Cote might get the nod on aggression, but I think this was Thompson's round.

ROUND TWO: Thompson scored a good early combination. He blocked a kick. Cote landed one to the leg. Thompson threw a hard body kick. Thompson held his hands at his sides and landed a couple of good punches as Cote moved forward. Thompson got in a good inside leg kick. Thompson landed an inside leg kick again with a right hand behind it. Thompson threw Cote back after landing a nice right hand, but let him up. Thompson landed a good jab. Thompson landed a hard jab that caught Cote off balance a bit. Thompson with another short rush. He's working very nicely in this round. Cote pushed in and scored a left hand. Thompson connected on another short combo, though Cote countered. Cote barely missed a big right hand. Thompson landed a hard straight right and popped right back out. Very good movement from Thompson in this fight. Cote shot in for the single leg, but got stuffed again. Thompson landed a couple of elbows. Thompson circled out and landed a right hand. There was a loud boo to some of the tentativeness in the round. Thompson pressured and landed two really nice punches as he avoided Cote's. Cote tried to rush back in on instinct, but didn't connect on much before the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Thompson. Very good round for Thompson. Let up a bit at times, but turned it on in other spots, and just clearly won that round overall.

ROUND THREE: Thompson landed another nice combination to open up. He took a shot but again countered with several. Cote shot in but gave it up right away. Thompson landed a hard leg kick. Thompson landed a kick to the face. He landed a good jab. Cote got in a leg kick but ate a strike. Thompson landed a combination. He landed a jab. Again he caught Cote moving in. More jabs from Thompson. Cote again shot in to no avail. Great takedown defense from Thompson in this fight. They collided near the center. Thompson with another hard jab and a leg kick behind. Cote connected on something that caused Thompson's nose to bleed a bit. Cote connected on a right hand. Thompson landed several more strikes. The crowd got on their cases as there was more tentative action. They traded shots. Thompson dropped Cote with a big right hand. He landed a couple of strikes, but let Cote back up. That was a beautiful strike. He landed another right near the cage. Cote failed on another takedown and Thompson briefly got on top for a few strikes before letting him up. Thompson missed a spinning head kick. He got in a spinning kick to the body. Thompson landed another combination near the end of the round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Thompson. All him on offense, with the knockdown on top of that. Great round to seal the fight in his favor.

WINNER: Thompson via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

STAR RATING: (**) Better than the crowd gave it credit for, but admittedly there were some stretches of tentative action as it was a bit of a chess match at times. Still, very good performance from Stephen Thompson.


PRELIM FIGHT THREE: JORGE MASVIDAL VS. JAMES KRAUSE (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Neither fighter looked to engage all that quickly, with only a few strikes even being thrown out in the opening minute and a half. They traded leg kicks, then Krause got in with a few solid strikes. Masvidal backed him up and landed a left. He got in a body kick and Krause pressed him back with a few strikes. Krause landed some more jabs. He covered up as Masvidal came in. He caught a body kick and shot in for a takedown. That went nowhere and they separated. Masvidal pressed in and scored with a right hand. Krause got in a good kick to the body. Krause landed a jab. Masvidal missed a kick, but got in with a jab, and kept moving forward. Masvidal scored with a few more strikes. He pressed Krause back with a flurry. Krause landed a solid jab. Masvidal landed a spinning kick to the body. He clinched before the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Masvidal. Kept the pressure on, landed more strikes, and just did a bit more overall.

ROUND TWO: Krause opened up with a few strikes and he opened a cut on Masvidal's nose. Masvidal rushed in, but Krause covered up and fired back. Masvidal landed a body kick. Krause moved ahead. Good body strike from Masvidal. Masvidal landed a hard right hand. Krause returned fire. Krause landed a good body kick. Krause clinched and shot in for the takedown. Masvidal tried for a choke but didn't have it. However, he used it to roll through and get top position. Krause got to the cage and stood, but ate a knee to the body and a combination of strikes. Masvidal kept the clinch and landed a few more strikes. Krause circled out. Krause landed a good jab. He got in a right hand. Krause got in a couple of kicks, then tried and failed on a cartwheel kick. Masvidal fired back. They traded strikes. Masvidal got in a big flurry of strikes. Masvidal threw him off with a single leg attempt. He landed a spinning kick to the head, then shot in and scored a takedown> Krause used the same choke attempt sweep to take Masvidal's back. Krause went for a guillotine but couldn't lock it on. As they stood up, Masvidal landed a two punch combo and sent Krause down. He was off balance there, it seemed. Masvidal ended the round on top.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Masvidal. Krause needs a stoppage in this last round or Masvidal's going to cruise to the decision.

ROUND THREE: Masvidal landed a few early strikes as Krause tried to walk him down. Krause landed a couple of strikes. Masvidal pressed back in with a good combination. He clinched, took Krause's back standing, dropped him, but then Krause got back up. They jockeyed for position and then separated. Masvidal landed a few more strikes. He grabbed a leg, tripped Krause up, and took him down. Krause worked back to his feet, but ate a few more strikes. Masvidal opened up with another combination. Another clinch. Krause landed a foot stomp. They separated again. They traded big strikes, with Krause landing a right, but Masvidal returning fire. Krause landed a nice combo, but as he tried for a takedown Masvidal wound up on top. He ended the round trying to take Krause's back.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Masvidal. Good enough overall to beat Krause. The underdog just didn't have a ton to offer by the end of that.

WINNER: Masvidal via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)

STAR RATING: (*+) Not a great fight. Masvidal did a much better job than Krause, but there wasn't much more to it than that.


PRELIM FIGHT FOUR: DOMINICK CRUZ VS. TAKEYA MIZUGAKI (BANTAMWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Mizugaki tried to engage early and Cruz moved in and out solidly. He landed a nice left hand. Cruz landed two more legt hands. He ducked under a strike beautifully and scored a takedown. Mizugaki tried to scramble out and Cruz held him at the cage. He started unloading right hands and Mizugaki looked out. He kept throwing strikes as the ref wasn't stepping in and things shifted slightly. More strikes and Mizugaki's arm was trapped. Finally the ref stepped in to stop things. What a fantastic comeback from Dominick Cruz.

WINNER: Cruz via TKO at 1:01 of the first round

STAR RATING: (***) That level change for the takedown was amazing, and he absolutely demolished a fighter who was on one hell of a run in his own right. Sorry Raphael Assuncao, you're not getting the next title fight.


=====Pay-Per-View Main Card=====

After a brief rundown of the card from Rogan and Goldberg, it's time for the first of five excellent fights on this main card.

MAIN CARD FIGHT ONE: CAT ZINGANO VS. AMANDA NUNES (WOMEN'S BANTAMWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Nunes landed a hard inside leg kick, they clinched, and Nunes scored the takedown. Not entirely surprising, to be honest. Zingano tried to scramble from the bottom, and she went for an armbar, but Nunes worked out of it. Zingano attacked for a leg, but Nunes got out of it. After another scramble, Zingano kicked her off. She threw some upkicks as she remained on her back. Nunes dropped down with a big right hand. Zingano was hurt as she unleashed a big flurry of strikes. Zingano took the strikes, but she was in trouble. She tried for an armbar, failed, and Nunes continued with elbows and more. Nunes threw more strikes. She stood up and landed some huge bombs. Zingano again went for an arm, but Nunes dropped for a leg herself. Zingano managed to get to top position herself. They stood up. Zingano grabbed a front headlock and pulled off a straight up DDT. Not even kidding, she slammed Nunes' head to the canvas in a throw, and ended the round on top. This fight is nuts already.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Nunes. She did a ton of damage with top control, but Zingano finished the round strong herself.

ROUND TWO: Zingano pulled off a trip real early, and got into side control. Zingano landed some strikes from the top as Nunes tried to attack from the bottom. Nunes got her to guard, but Zingano stood up and landed a few strikes, then got in some hard kicks. Zingano went for an ankle, then gave it up and got back on top. Zingano got back to half guard. Zingano landed some elbows from the top. She continued the attack from the top to hold onto her position. Nunes looked to be wearing down, as she had little effort from the bottom. Nunes went for a leg, so Zingano went for an ankle. Zingano defended the leglock well and got back on top. She ended the round on top.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Zingano. Big round to even things up. This fight's been quite good.

ROUND THREE: In an early clinch, Zingano landed a few knees, then pulled off another DDT throw! Amazing. She passed to mount and landed strikes from the top. Zingano continued landing huge elbows. Nunes was bleeding badly. Zingano continued the assault and the referee stepped in! Just fantastic performance from Zingano after that first four minutes.

WINNER: Zingano via TKO at 1:21 of the third round

STAR RATING: (***+) Awesome fight. Zingano took a ridiculous amount of punishment in the first, came back strong in a highly entertaining second round, then finished things in the third. Just excellent stuff from Zingano, who now clearly is set up for a fight with Ronda Rousey.


MAIN CARD FIGHT TWO: TIM KENNEDY VS. YOEL ROMERO (MIDDLEWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Romero was the early aggressor, landing several strikes against the cage. Kennedy pressed back. Kennedy's nose was already bleeding. Romero landed a hard punch to the thigh. Romero landed a few hard kicks. Kennedy connected with a hard kick to the body. Romero landed another punch to the thigh, but it came up a bit high and things paused. Romero landed a hard body kick. Kennedy shot in and almost had him down, but Romero shrugged him off and got back to his feet. He scored a takedown but leg Kennedy up. Romero landed another big strike. Romero ate a knee as he shot in and scored a takedown, but Kennedy quickly scrambled out. Kennedy tried to press in as the round came to a close. Romero landed a big right hand before the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Romero. Lots of damage done that round. Good work from Romero throughout the round.

ROUND TWO: Kennedy tried to press in early. Romero turned him to the cage and landed a couple of strikes. Kennedy lunged in with a punch to no avail. Romero seemed much slower than the first round. Kennedy shot in but Romero sprawled. He landed a nice right hand as he got to his feet. Kennedy landed a body punch. Kennedy got in a right hand as Romero missed a couple. Kennedy again landed the right hand. Romero landed an uppercut. They traded some strikes in a clinch and Kennedy shot in. He got stuffed. Kennedy got in a few strikes in a clinch. He tried to keep Romero at bay. Romero went for a takedown. Big scramble ensued and Kennedy wound up on his back going for a guillotine. Romero popped out, but Kennedy scrambled to his feet. They traded strikes and Kenney got in a spinning back fist. Romero pressed him to the cage in a clinch. Kennedy landed some strikes with his back against the cage. Romero held him to the cage. He landed a few big strikes to the body. Romero had Kennedy hurt. Kennedy rocked Romero with a big flurry. He landed several that had Romero looking out on his feet back to the cage. He was saved by the horn. Wow.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Kennedy. It was Romero's round until that final flurry, which almost brought a stop to things. Romero's in trouble because he's massively tired right now.

ROUND THREE: Romero's corner bought him some time in shady fashion by not leaving the cage. As they started, romero dropped Kennedy with a big right hand! He had him hurt badly. Kennedy tried to get up and Romero pounced. He started unloading strikes on the ground and Kennedy's face was just destroyed. He covered up and McCarthy stopped it! Oh man. Wow. Wow, wow, wow.

WINNER: Romero via TKO at :58 of the third round

STAR RATING: (***) Man, such an odd fight to discuss. The fight arguably should have been stopped in between rounds when Romero didn't immediately get off his stool. Then he went out and just destroyed Kennedy. I don't even know what to say, but that was just freaking insanity.


MAIN CARD FIGHT THREE: DUSTIN POIRIER VS. CONOR MCGREGOR (FEATHERWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: McGregor threw a spinning kick to the body. He did another but slipped. He landed a right hand as he got back up. Poirier landed a leg kick. Huge crowd response here. More spinning stuff from McGregor. He dropped his hands after a strike and asked Poirier. McGregor landed a big combo. Poirier responded with one of his own. McGregor landed a hard left hand. Another spinning kick to the head but it was blocked. McGregor dropped him with a big left! He followed up with a few strikes on the ground. Oh man. Yeah, McGregor's the real freaking deal. Holy shit.

WINNER: McGregor via TKO at 1:46 of the first round

STAR RATING: (***+) Just a huge, huge, huge win for McGregor. He came in believing he was going to do exactly what he did, and he pulled it off. Yeah, McGregor's a damned star, just give up any resistance, he's taking over. I still think the Frankie Edgar-Cub Swanson winner is the deserving challenger after Chad Mendes, but dammit if McGregor won't get that fight next.


MAIN CARD FIGHT FOUR: DONALD CERRONE VS. EDDIE ALVAREZ (LIGHTWEIGHT)

ROUND ONE: Cerrone threw a knee as Alvarez threw a left. Cerrone landed a solid right hand. They exchanged strikes. Cerrone landed a good body kick. Alvarez landed a hard leg kick and Cerrone returned fire. Things slowed down a bit as both tried to stay at distance. Cerrone landed a hard strike. They clinched and Alvarez started unleashing a vicious barrage of strikes in close. Alvarez just kept throwing and throwing and throwing, but Cerrone took it. Man, what a chin. Alvarez backed off the clinch and landed a couple more strikes. Alvarez landed a right hand. Alvarez shot in but Cerrone held it off at the cage. Cerrone grabbed a Thai clinch and landed a knee to separate. They traded body strikes. Cerrone tried to rush in but Alvarez blocked the srikes. Alvarez landed a good strike. Cerrone threw him down, but Alvarez popped to his feet. Cerrone got in a kick, Alvarez returned a strike before the horn. Excellent opening round.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Alvarez. That series of clinch strikes had Cerrone hurting, but he fought through it. Great start to the fight.

ROUND TWO: Cerrone came forward early, but neither landed much early on. Cerrone got in a nice kick to the body. Alvarez got in some short strikes. Cerrone responded with a knee and a kick to the body. Alvarez caught a kick, then a knee, but he got shrugged off. Alvarez landed some nice body punches, but ate a couple knees to the body himself. Cerrone landed another knee to the body, and another out of the clinch. Cerrone got in a few more kicks to the leg and body. He landed a hard leg kick. Alvarez landed a right hand. Cerrone got back in to the knee. Alvarez shot in for a takedown but it got stuffed, and Cerrone took his back standing. Cerrone got in another knee as Alvarez turned around. Alvarez landed a left hook. Cerrone grazed him with a head kick. Cerrone ate another kick and another knee. Alvarez landed a right hand. He took a right as well. Cerrone landed a right hand. Alvarez landed a short body combo, and Cerrone responded with a couple of knees. He missed another head kick. Alvarez landed a spinning back fist at the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cerrone. Big round for the "Cowboy" to even things up. Things are getting interesting here.

ROUND THREE: Alvarez shot in but got stuffed and ate a few knees to the body. Alvarez landed a few strikes. Cerrone landed a hard leg kick. Alvarez landed a big right hand. Cerrone tried to fire out but ate a few more strikes. Cerrone landed a knee. They settled briefly, then Alvarez landed a straight right. Alvarez landed another combination. Cerrone with the leg kick. Cerrone got in a good knee. He tried to open up on the cage, but both missed several strikes. Alvarez fired back. Alvarez landed a hard jab with a right hand behind it. Cerrone landed the head kick. Alvarez landed a left hook. Alvarez landed several strikes. Cerrone landed a few body kicks, Alvarez landed a few strikes. Cerrone landed two hard leg kicks and Alvarez was hurt badly. He landed a few more strikes, then Cerrone dropped him with another leg kick. Cerrone followed him to the ground, and landed some strikes from half guard. Should have made him stand again. Things stalled out a bit. Cerrone landed several strikes from the top. He rode out the round on top. We really needed five rounds in this fight.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-9 Cerrone. Another strong round for Cerrone to likely seal this thing. The fight really needed five rounds, but it was great for 15 minutes, and this should be a really big win for Cerrone.

WINNER: Cerrone via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

STAR RATING: (***) Very, very good fight, and it's unfortunate we don't have ten more minutes to work with here. Cerrone came out slow, but rebounded in a big way, Alvarez let him come back, and those leg kicks really affected him in the final ten minutes. This isn't the end of his run in this division, but it definitely serves as a reality check to the level of fighter in the UFC. Cerrone's on a huge run right now, and if he wins again this fall/winter, he'll get a title fight.


MAIN EVENT FIGHT FIVE: DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON VS. CHRIS CARIASO (FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP)

ROUND ONE: Bit of a slow start. Johnson landed an outside leg kick. Johnson connected on a right hand, and avoided most of Cariaso's attacks. Johnson ducked under a strike and scored an easy takedown. Johnson worked hard to pass, and he landed an elbow from the top. Cariaso brought him back to guard, but Johnson looked to pass again. Johnson got in a knee to the body as Cariaso worked to his feet. He landed a few more. More knees to the body from the Champ. Johnson landed another hard knee to the body. He got in another and Cariaso dropped down to shoot in. Johnson landed several strikes as Cariaso was on the ground. Cariaso popped to his feet and separated. Johnson landed a kick to the body. Johnson landed a few more strikes. Johnson landed a huge knee to the head and a few more strikes, but Cariaso was saved by the horn.

Penick's Scorecard: 10-8 Johnson. Huge round for the champion. Almost stopped things at the end of the round there.

ROUND TWO: Johnson got Cariaso to the ground early, then passed to half guard and trapped an arm, delivering several strikes. Cariaso tried to escape, and Johnson passed back to side control. Johnson went for the arm, went for the straight armbar, then turned it to a kimura. Cariaso tried to hold on, but then he had to submit. Johnson did exactly what he was expected to do.

WINNER: Johnson via submission (kimura) at 2:29 of the second round

STAR RATING: (***) Find it, watch it, if only for the Champion. This was clearly his fight to lose from the outset, and he demolished Cariaso as he was expected to do. This is just another in a fantastic string of wins for the Champ.

-They re-aired Dominick Cruz's fantastic win over Takeya Mizugaki from the prelims.

-That's the card tonight. It delivered everything fans expected it to deliver, and now we move ahead to next week's double-header from the UFC. We'll have plenty more to discuss this week on the event, so keep checking the site throughout the week for more thoughts on what transpired tonight!