Bleacher Report’s Mark Pare:
UFC 132 was a stacked card from top to bottom, with the main card littered with former champions, Ultimate Fighter winners and was capped off with a UFC first.
The UFC Bamtamweight title was defended for the first time ever and champion Dominick Cruz successfully defended his belt against Urijah Faber.
This is the second time these competitors faced against each other. In the first bout, Faber choked out Cruz at WEC 26 in March 2007. That bout lasted 1:38. This time, they went the distance and what a fight it was.
The first round proved to be a close one, however, Cruz showed his unorthodox style, leaving Faber to question his movements throughout the first five minutes. Faber attempted a few take downs but Cruz got out of each of them. Cruz landed a few solid shots and controlled the pace for the most part. Faber claims he expected Cruz to be unpredictable coming in.
“I knew he was going to come in awkward like that,” Faber said to Joe Rogan following his unanimous decision loss. “I decided to come straight forward. I didn’t feel like I was in danger at any point, but it is what it is.”
The second round saw Faber come back strong, landing a few strikes. Cruz looked exhausted by the middle of the round, noticeably looking at the clock and taking a deep breath on a couple of occasions. “The Dominator” did get a take down to slow the momentum of the “California Kid” but Faber got out soon after and finished the round strong.
Round 3 started and Faber continued a relentless pace with Cruz trying to come back with counters. At the mid point, Cruz landed a great combination and a head kick. With about two minutes left in the round, there was a wild scramble by both fighters. Faber scored a take down ad then Cruz countered into side control.. Faber rolled out again and got to his feet.
Counters were the story of this fight, one that earned “Fight of the Night” honors.
Entering the championship rounds, Faber landed a devastating punch and slowed the champion down. The rest of the round displayed more of the quick pace that these fighters in the Bantamweight division are known for.
In the final round, both fighters were looking for the finish. Knees, guillotines, and a pace that showed what level of skill is required to be a UFC champion.
A tough one for the judges to score, but when the verdict came in, Cruz retained the title with a 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47 unanimous decision win and avenged his only MMA loss.