Which Bout Will Win “Fight Of The Night” At UFC 178?
UFC 178 tickets are set to go on sale this Wednesday for the September card which is filling up to be one if the most stacked events of 2014.
Headlining Autumn’s red hot event in Las Vegas, Nevada, is one of the biggest grudge matches of the year as the pound-for-pound kingpin Jon Jones will look to defend his light-heavyweight title for the eighth time against Strikeforce’s heavyweight Grand Prix champion; Daniel Cormier.
The bout will go down inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena and will take place after a number of top draw match ups, which include plenty of contenders for “Fight of the Night”.
Below are three fights which I think are bound for fireworks:
Dominick Cruz vs. Takeya Mizugaki
Cruz makes his long awaited return after a nearly three year absence, where he was forced to vacate his bantamweight title, to take on Japanese slugger and top contender Takeya Mizugaki in the night’s co-main event. The former champion has one of the most dynamic striking styles in the UFC which has caused problems for the vast majority of his previous opponents.
But, after such a long lay of, one has to wonder how he will fare against a top contender in Mizugaki who has won his last five fights coming in.
Between them they have four “Fight of the Night” bonuses and with the winner expected to get the next title shot, both men will be going all out for the win. Keep your eyes on this one.
Amanda Nunes vs. Cat Zingano
Like Cruz, Zigano is set to make her return to the Octagon after a lengthy lay off with knee surgeries. Prior to her injury she was one of the most feared women in the bantamweight division and on her way to challenging Ronda Rousey. She’s a perfect 8-0 in her career with only one of her wins going to a decision. In her last bout against Miesha Tate, at the TUF 17 Finale, she earned a TKO win over the former Strikeforce champion in a “Fight of the Night” war.
Zigano is up against another extremely dangerous opponent in Nunes who has finished all nine of her professional wins, with eight ending by way of KO/TKO. The Brazilian will be looking to make it 3-0 in the UFC after stopping Sheila Gaff and Germaine de Randaime. The ladies could very well steal the show come fight night.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier
Along with the main event, McGregor vs. Poirier is another grudge match and looks destined to be an all out war. Both men have voiced their dislike of one another in the media recently and with a title shot possibly awaiting the victor, the featherweights have it all to fight for.
Between them they have a combined twenty-seven finishes out of a total of thirty-one wins, so it doesn’t look like its going to go the distance and with both men more than willing to go toe-to-toe this should be one to remember.
Personally, I think all three could take the FOTN bonus but I’m struggling to pick which. What scrap do you see taking FOTN at UFC 178?
