UFC 178 live blog: Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes

This is the UFC 178 live blog for Cat Zingano vs. Amanda Nunes, a women's bantamweight bout at Saturday night's UFC event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Zingano, who is 8-0 and fighting for the first time since TUF 17 Finale, will face Nunes, who is 2-0 in the UFC and 9-3 overall, on the main card.

Check out the UFC 178 live blog below.

Round 1: Jason Herzog is reffing the first fight on the main card. No glove touch. Zingano  was very focused coming in. Nunes immediately shoots for a takedown, and gets it. Damn quick start for Nunes, as she now tries to advance her position. Half guard for Zingano , and now she snatches an arm and is looking for the submission. Looked close for a second, but Nunes is out, and now she's pressuring Zingano from her guard. Nunes stands up, and Zingano, still on her back, tries to land some upkicks...close. Nunes looking for a point of entry. She finally finds one and dives in with a huge punch! Now she's just blowing Zingano up with fists, Zingano spinning on the ground from her back but eating punches. Crazy sequence. Zingano tries for another armbar, but she gets punished again, this time with an elbow. Hard shots from Nunes. This is a thrashing! Zingano is taking the punishment without much movement from her back. Nunes tries to grab her leg and rolls, and now that gives Zingano top position. Huge mistake from Nunes! Now Zingano is trying to posture up and get some range to land. So far Nunes has her tied up well. Zingano scoots up, and Nunes tries to connect with an upkick. Zingano peels back and lets her up. We're standing again. Huge throw from Zingano! And she's on top of Nunes, close to mount. Crazy finish to that round. It went back and forth, but Nunes wins it for all the first two-thirds. MMA Fighting scores R1 for Nunes, 10-9.

Round 2: Let's see if the tide has turned for Zingano. They come out and immediately tie up at the center of the cage, and now Zingano tosses Nunes to the mat and gets side control. Big punches coming in from Zingano. Now Nunes grabs her wrists and is controlling the arm, but now Zingano drops an elbow and a right hand. Half guard now, on fence, and Zingano is trying to create space for some pounding. Another elbow, and she stands up. Now she goes to work kicking the prone Nunes. She jumps down and tries for the ankle lock, but can't get it, and now Zingano back on top. Nunes is now the one trying to find offense, but right now she's getting worked on the ground. A couple of short lefts through a weave of limbs for Zingano. Elbows now, and they are audible. Zingano just controlling the action with pressure and leverage. Now she gives a shoulder shrug and a shot to Nunes' body. Nothing incoming from the bottom here from the Brazilian. ZIngano is keeping the pressure on, now getting some opening to land a series of nice of punches. She grabs a foot and cranks, as Nunes rolls. Can't get the lock, and Zingano right back on top. Dominant round for Zingano. Spent almost the entire round on top, landing great shots. Finally a few punches from Nunes from bottom, just some boxing of the ears, but that round ties it up. MMA Fighting scores R2 for Zingano, 10-9 (19-19 overall)

Round 3: Third round, and Zingano appears to have the momentum here. She comes out and trades at center, and Nunes might have got the better there. Clinch, and her come some knees from Zingano, who now throws Nunes like a tackle dummy over her shoulder, and here we go again -- Zingano on top doing some ground and pound. A series of left hands and then a right elbow bomb. She's bringing it now, just hammering away at Nunes, who can't get out of the way of anything on her back. This thing is close to being over...and there it is! Herzog comes in and stops the fight. Zingano just annihilated Nunes from late first round on. The end shots were a sequence of lefts and rights that kept raining in on hitting the mark.

UFC 178 official results: Cat Zingano def. Amanda Nunes via TKO (strikes) at 1:21 of R3