When a card with Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson and more did 205k PPV buys, 8 years ago on this day
Conor McGregor, Demetrious Johnson, Amanda Nunes, Jorge Masvidal, Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez, Dominick Cruz, Yoel Romero, and Stephen Thompson all competed on the same card at UFC 178, which took place eight years ago today. In hindsight, this was perhaps the most stacked card in the history of the mixed martial arts promotion.
Otherwise known as the card with Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, Demetrious Johnson, Donald Cerrone, Dustin Poirier, Eddie Alvarez, Dominick Cruz, Jorge Masvidal, Wonderboy, Kevin Lee and Yoel Romero that sold a reported 205,000 PPVs. twitter.com/mmamania/statuβ¦
While we can look back at UFC 178 in hindsight knowing the achievements these fighters have accomplished in their careers, the card did not have much fanfare at the time. The 205,000 reported pay-per-view (PPV) purchases were a low amount, even by 2014 standards.
UFC 178 was originally set to be headlined by a rematch of the UFC 165 Hall of Fame fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. Due to an injury, Gustafsson had to pull out and Daniel Cormier was set to step in as the challenger before Jones was injured. The card would instead be headlined by Demetrious Johnson and Chris Cariaso.
Johnson would emerge victorious in his fifth of a UFC record eleven title defenses after submitting his opponent in the second round. The co-main event between Donald Cerrone and Eddie Alvarez went to the judges, where Cerrone picked up a unanimous victory. The fight was Alvarez's first in the UFC after vacating his Bellator title to join the promotion.
UFC 178 was a banger. π₯ https://t.co/mFlmW5WGoU
Elsewhere on the main card, UFC 178 served as a coming-out party for Conor McGregor as he defeated Dustin Poirier with a first-round knockout. This would mark McGregor's last event that he didn't headline.
UFC 178 was also the last time that Amanda Nunes would lose a fight until losing to Julianna Pena at UFC 269 over seven years later. Nunes suffered a third-round knockout defeat to Cat Zingano.
The stacked card also featured a main card victory secured by Yoel Romero and preliminary card victories from Dominick Cruz, Jorge Masvidal, Stephen Thompson, and Kevin Lee. While the card was filled with talent, the removal of the original title fight likely led to the low sales.
Conor McGregor becomes a star at UFC 178
Conor McGregor is easily the biggest draw in UFC history, however, entering UFC 178, the Irishman hadn't yet reached his peak yet. He entered as the No.9-ranked featherweight before quickly putting away Dustin Poirier with a first-round knockout.
#OnThisDay 8 years ago, Mystic Mac called his shot in the first fight of this ππππππ trilogy π’ https://t.co/50ldfIGC1s
Following the victory, Conor McGregor would go on to become the UFC's biggest star. He has had ten fights since the event, nine of which were pay-per-views. Of the nine pay-per-views, McGregor has headlined seven best-selling events in UFC history, with another fight ranking in the top ten. McGregor, who is likely destined for the UFC Hall of Fame, is also the first double champ in the promotion's history.