Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Will Chris Cariaso be competitive against Demetrious Johnson in UFC 178 main event?
Sep 27, 2014 - 10:45:56 AM ROUNDTABLE: Will Chris Cariaso be competitive against Demetrious Johnson in UFC 178 main event?

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Do you expect Chris Cariaso to be all that competitive against Mighty Mouse Johnson at UFC 178? Why or why not? How do you think the fight plays out?


DAN MOORE, MMATORCH UK COLUMNIST

This is yet another pay-per-view main event that no one really cares about. Both Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirer and Donald Cerrone vs. Eddie Alvarez are far more appealing fights to watch. That's a real shame because Demetrious Johnson is brilliant. Sadly for him, the flyweight division doesn't attract a great deal of attention, and he doesn't have the personality required to sell a fight like McGregor.

It doesn't help that he's being forced to defend his title against a very average opponent considered extremely fortunate to even get this opportunity. Every man and his dog assumes Johnson will win this however he likes. I see this as a great opportunity for Johnson to run riot and do something spectacular to sell his skills. More fans will tune in for this particular pay-per-view and he can really make a name for himself with a dominant performance. Johnson to win via TKO in the second round.


FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

No, I don't think he'll be competitive with Johnson. I think Johnson fights a very conservative fight and coasts to a dominant decision victory. I hope not, but we've seen this happen before where a guy doesn't go for the finish against an outmatched opponent. I hope this doesn't happen, but I'm bracing myself for a lackluster decision in this fight.


KALE HAVERVOLD, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I don't. It would be refreshing to see somebody compete with Demetrious, but I simply don't see anyone in that division being able to get even remotely close to beating him unless Dodson can get a lucky KO at some point.


TOM STRONG, MMATORCH UK CONTRIBUTOR

I'm still trying to get over the fact Chris Cariaso is fighting for the flyweight belt! Ok, the division isn't stacked like a few others, but there are certainly other fighters more worthy of this fight.

That aside, he's got the fight, and barring anything crazy it will headline Saturday night. Will it be competitive? That all depends on what your definition of competitive is. Cariaso is durable, and may go the distance with Johnson, though I don't see at any point in the fight he'll have any real chance of pulling of an upset.

That's not meant to be too harsh on Cariaso, as he's a solid fighter. It's just that he's up against the very best in the division, and that man is miles ahead of him in ability.