Dominick Cruz Vs Urijah Faber – UFC 132 Heats Up

By Kevin Nelson

At the MGM grand garden arena in Las Vegas, Nevada; fans are going to be treated to a memorable card as the UFC puts on one of its best cards of the year. The main event is a bantamweight rematch as Dominick Cruz looks to retain his title against Urijah Faber and avenge his only loss of his career. Other matchups include the return of Wanderlei Silva as he faces Chris Leben. Tito Ortiz faces Ryan Bader and Carlos Condit faces Dong Hyun Kim. Dennis Siver faces Matt Wiman and George Sotiropoulos faces Rafael Dos Anjos. We preview the main card matchups.

Rafael Dos Anjos (14-5) vs. George Sotiropoulos (14-3) 3rds lightweights:

Dos Anjos is coming off a loss to Guida in which he suffered a broken jaw. Sotiropoulos looked to be a win away from a title shot when he was derailed by Dennis Siver. Both have very good Jiujitsu but I give the advantage to Dos Anjos in that department but I give the grappling to Sotiropoulos. I see this fight going to the scorecards with Sotiropoulos victorious.

Dennis Siver (18-7) vs. Matt Wiman (13-5) 3rds lightweights:

Matt Wiman has won three straight fights. The argument could be 4 if you include his decision loss to Sam Stout. Siver has won 3 straight after losing a decision to Ross Pearson. This is a pick’em fight between two middle of the road contenders. I give the edge to Siver by decision.

Carlos Condit (26-5) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (14-0-1) 3rds welterweights:

The argument could be made that this is a matchup to determine the number one contender for George St Pierre’s welterweight title. Kim has excellent judo throws and a very good submission game. Condit has power ( see Dan Hardy) and fights with a lot of heart. Condit has had only one victory go to the scorecards. I see this as a fight of the night candidate with Condit winning by ko.

Tito Ortiz (15-8-1) vs. Ryan Bader (12-1) 3rds light heavyweights:

This is it for Ortiz a loss and his UFC career is over. A win for Bader gives him a name fighter on his record and puts him back in the win column. Bader wrestling to me is overrated and reminds me of Hamil in that he has only one way of taking you down which is shooting for a double which you see a mile away. What makes wrestlers like Randy Couture, Rashad Evans, and GSP good at taking you down is the different tactics used such as come in striking and shoot for a takedown with Bader he does not try to disguise what he is doing. I see Ortiz winning a decision over Bader.

Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) vs. Chris Leben (25-7) 3rds middleweights:

Let it be known Wanderlei Silva is my favorite fighter but he has been inactive for 18 months and has shown to have a glass chin. Leben has had his ups and downs but he can take a punch. I see this fight ending with Leben’s hand being raised as he will win by ko.

Dominick Cruz (17-1) vs. Urijah Faber (25-4) 5rds bantamweight title:

This feud is 4 years in the making as Faber won their first fight over little known Dominick Cruz. But since then Cruz has established himself as one of the best fighters at bantamweight and Faber has had some ups and downs. One thing is for sure both men are hungry but look for Faber to win a highly disputed decision over Cruz.