A UFC card with these names on it in 2025 would undoubtedly be the biggest of the year.
On this day, September 27, in 2014, the UFC 178 pay-per-view took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The event was not the most highly anticipated after the cancellation of Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier owing to an injury suffered by ‘Bones’ a few weeks out. With that main event rescheduled to UFC 182, the promotion pulled Demetrious Johnson’s title defense against Chris Cariaso from UFC 177 and had it headline the following numbered show.
Johnson submitted Cariaso with a kimura and would go on to hold the flyweight belt for another four years, cementing his status as the division’s greatest of all time.
And ‘Mighty Mouse’ was not the only name on the UFC 178 lineup who would go on to place their name in a GOAT discussion.
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Conor McGregor, Demetrious Johnson, Amanda Nunes, and Dominick Cruz all fought at UFC 178
In hindsight, UFC 178 has been described as the “most underrated” event in the organization’s history by some. As well as delivering when it comes to the action, the card was not short on fighters who would go on to become some of the sport’s top stars.
Before Johnson headlined, two other future contenders for ‘greatest of all time’ status in their divisions took to the cage. Topping the prelims was a leading name in the bantamweight GOAT debate, as Dominick Cruz knocked out Takeya Mizugaki in his return after three years away.
There was a less successful outing soon after for Amanda Nunes, who was pummeled with elbows and punches on the ground in a TKO defeat against Cat Zingano. That marked her final setback before a legendary 12-fight winning streak left the ‘Lioness’ widely seen as MMA’s greatest-ever female fighter.
A memorable and controversial clash between Yoel Romero and Tim Kennedy followed, and before Donald Cerrone got the better of the debuting Eddie Alvarez in the co-main event, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier crossed paths for the first time.
Seven years before their rematch and trilogy fights — and prior to the Irishman’s rise to become the biggest star the sport has ever seen — McGregor stopped Poirier in one round.
The UFC 178 prelims also featured a number of then-future contenders, including Jorge Masvidal, Stephen Thompson, and Kevin Lee.
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Conor McGregor and Amanda Nunes are both eyeing UFC comebacks
Two of those four prominent names are officially finished in MMA and have no intention of coming back. After Johnson retired as ONE Championship titleholder in 2024, Cruz announced his decision to hang up the gloves earlier this year after having his plans for one final fight derailed by injury.
They joined Nunes in retirement, but the ‘Lioness’ is expected to reverse course and enter the cage again soon. During her two years away, the women’s GOAT continued to tease a comeback, and a face-off between Nunes and Kayla Harrison at UFC 316 set up that super fight down the line.
The Brazilian is not the only big name from the UFC 178 lineup targeting their return in 2026.
While the chances of McGregor fighting again had been largely written off as he focused on other things away from the Octagon, the prospect of competing at the White House next year looks to have reignited the Irishman’s desire to fight again.