UFC 178 staredown pics: Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier, Donald Cerrone vs Eddie Alvarez and others face off at intense media day in Las Vegas

Separate!

How to go from "awkward" to "intense" in 24 hours or less.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just two days away from its upcoming UFC 178: "Johnson vs. Cariaso" pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place this Saturday night (Sept. 27, 2014) inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

While UFC 178 is headlined by a flyweight championship battle pitting Demetrious Johnson opposite Chris Cariaso, fans have gravitated toward the 145-pound grudge match between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, a bout that will determine who is the contender and who is the pretender.

Judging by this intense pull-apart staredown, they both look like future champions to me.

That's not all. Not by a long shot.

The lightweight division will also help sort itself out when Eddie Alvarez finally makes his Octagon debut after running the table in Bellator MMA. But he's got a dangerous test his first time out in the form of resident "Cowboy" Donald Cerrone, a prolific finisher who comes to throw down.

Here's a preview of what to expect this weekend in "Sin City."

Last, but certainly not least, is the 125-pound showdown featuring "Mighty Mouse" Johnson, who takes on "Kamikaze" Cariaso for all the marbles. While the challenger may not be a household name, isn't that usually the champion's most dangerous fight?

See them bump bridges below.

You excited?

Here's a video of the McGregor-Poirier dust up just for good measure:

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 178 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the Fight Pass "Prelims" matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET, and then the remaining under card balance on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET before the PPV start time at 10 p.m. ET.

See you then!