• UFC 132

Cruz edges Faber war in fight that hints at greatness

ESPN staff
July 3, 2011
Dominick Cruz landed more strikes against Urijah Faber © Getty Images
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The UFC may well have found its next era-defining rivalry at UFC 132 after Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber produced a five-round war so tight that they will surely do battle again in the future.

Chuck Liddell v Randy Couture, Matt Hughes v BJ Penn, Tito Ortiz v Ken Shamrock... all legendary trilogies that have cemented the names of the men involved into the UFC fabric. If the events of Las Vegas are anything to go by, Cruz v Faber is heading the same way.

After being handed a judging nightmare following five of the closest rounds of action seen all year, the judges rendered a 50-45 49-46 48-47 unanimous decision the way of Cruz, who had probably justified the victory, but certainly two of the judges had gone harsh on Faber.

"Urijah Faber... that dude hits hard," admitted reigning bantamweight king Cruz, who was dropped on three occasions. "He hits hard and his hands are fast. They were prepared. I hit him with a jump knee and it rocked him, but he's a veteran man, he's tough."

When it was boiled down, the fight came down to an equation of a more active champion, landing more strikes, against a reactive challenger, who came closer to stopping the bout. Cruz's rhythmical, bouncy style allowed him to pepper his target whilst stuffing multiple takedowns, but every-so-often he would eat a straight right hand that sent him sprawling backwards.

That was certainly the story of the first round as Cruz connected with his very first punch, before Faber failed with a gigantic takedown attempt despite having double underhooks. Cruz landed jabs, leg kicks and the odd straight right, but it was he who got planted on backside with an explosive right hand from Faber.

The hatred between the pair going into the bout ensured both men desperately wanted to find each other's chin, and they did so in telling fashion during the second. Cruz found a home for a big left/right combination out of the gate, but then Faber charged his foe with another hefty right that again levelled the champion. It was arguably Faber's round, but he could not stop Cruz dictating the tempo or the pattern of the fight, even landing a takedown before the klaxon.

Faber's first successful takedown arrived 13 minutes into the contest, and Cruz instantly reversed position to scramble back to his feet. It was in the stand-up where he remained the aggressor, putting together a beautiful left/right combination before finishing with a head kick.

The fourth round summed up the epic size of the challenge facing the judges, who must have been praying for a knockout or submission to take matters out of their hands. Cruz delivered arguably his best shot of the night, stunning Faber with a right hand, only to then get dropped yet again by the California Kid. However, every time Cruz got hurt he responded, and on this occasion it was with a knee and left hook - both to the body.

Neither man could afford to ride out the decision in the final stanza, Cruz launching out of his corner with a flying knee, while Faber drew memories of their first fight when attempting to lock on a guillotine. As the final klaxon sounded, it seemed only right the story closed without a definitive chapter, and Faber spoke for all in attendance by admitting he would love a rematch.

"I thought I landed the heavier punches, I had him rocked the whole time, but congratulations to Dominick, there wasn't enough output on my side to win it and I didn't finish him," said the clearly gutted former WEC featherweight champion. "I felt like I won the fight, but you can't really judge.

"I didn't think I was in danger, let's do it again."

UFC 132 results:
Dominick Cruz bt. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision (50-45 49-46 48-47)
Chris Leben bt. Wanderlei Silva via TKO (punches) Round 1 (0:27)
Tito Ortiz bt. Ryan Bader via submission (guillotine choke) Round 1 (1:56)
Carlos Condit bt. Dong Hyun Kim via TKO (flying knee and punches) Round 1 (2:58)
Dennis Siver bt. Matt Wiman via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 29-28)
Melvin Guillard bt. Shane Roller via TKO (punches) Round 1 (2:21)
Aaron Simpson bt. Brad Tavares via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 30-27)
Brian Bowles bt. Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision (30-27 30-27 29-28)
Rafael dos Anjos bt. George Sotiropoulos via TKO (punch) Round 1 (0:59)
Anthony Njokuani bt. Andre Winner via unanimous decision (30-26 30-26 30-27)
Jeff Hougland bt. Donny Walker via unanimous decision (29-28 29-28 30-27)

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