Here are my UFC 132 Fight Predictions. I have put together full write ups for the Main Card and Quick Picks for the Prelims. Be sure to Visit our Fight Information Page.

Urijah Faber over Dominick Cruz via fourth round rear naked choke. @+135 Odds

• Faber vs. Cruz Prediction Page

Chris Leben over Wanderlei Silva via second round T/KO. @+145 Odds

• Leben vs. Silva Prediction page

Ryan Bader over Tito Ortiz via third round T/KO.

• Bader vs. Ortiz Prediction Page

Carlos Condit over Dong Hyun Kim via Unanimous Decision. @-120 Odds

• Condit vs. Kim Prediction Page

Dennis Siver over Matt Wiman via Unanimous Decision.

• Siver vs. Wiman Prediction Page

Preliminary Card Quick Picks

• George Sotiropoulos over Rafeal Dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision.
• Brad Tavares over Aaron Simpson via Decision. @+215 Odds
• Brian Bowles over Takeya Mizugaki via second round sub.
• Melvin Guillard over Shane Roller via third round T/KO.
• Jeff Hougland over Donny Walker via Decision. @+160 Odds
• Anthony Njokuani over Andre Winner via second round KO.

UFC Bantamweight Championship bout:  Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

Odds:  (-165 Cruz / +135 Faber )

Betting Pick:  Faber

Bet on this fight at Bodog.com

In the main event of the evening, Bantamweight king Dominick Cruz will look to retain his title and avenge the only loss of his professional career against “The California Kid” Urijah Faber. When these two first met, in 2007, Faber choked Cruz out with a guillotine not even two minutes into the fight. Since then, though, Cruz has grown into an extremely dominant and well-rounded fighter while Faber has hit a few bumps in the road, and both guys have found homes in a new weight class. Still, Faber is one of the toughest guys in the world and is more than capable of finishing Cruz again, so this should be a very competitive main event.

For years, Urijah Faber was the most dominant fighter in the world at 145 pounds, but two brutal losses to Mike Thomas Brown and a crushing at the hands of current kingpin Jose Aldo sent him moving down to Bantamweight. Now he has a chance to become a two-division champion if he can replicate his dominant performance from 2007. Faber is extremely well-rounded, with effective and powerful striking, solid wrestling, and top-notch submissions. He has already proven that he has the submission prowess to finish Cruz, but Cruz has become very good at taking opponents off their game and neutralizing their offense, so Faber is going to need to be aggressive and try to impose his gameplan from beginning to end if he wants to capture his second belt.

Dominick Cruz is not always the most enjoyable fighter in the world to watch, but there is no denying his effectiveness. Cruz is an enigma in that he isn’t really dominant at any one thing, but he is pretty good at everything and has an uncanny ability to throw his opponents off, keep them from mounting an effective offense, and do enough to score points and secure decision wins. Cruz’s biggest problem is that he is not a very prolific finisher and he rarely if ever dominates the action in his fights. He is extremely effective and an accomplished winner, but he lacks the ability to control opponents and allows them to hang around the entire fight, which can cause problems against prolific finishers.

It seems unlikely that Faber will finish Cruz in 90 seconds like he did the first time, but I still think this is a great matchup for him. Faber is very aggressive and can finish fights standing and on the ground, which makes him the perfect foil for Cruz’s more conservative, point-scoring style. Cruz’s biggest strength is his ability to draw opponents into his game, but Faber’s constant aggression and forward movement, coupled with his superior wrestling and submission game, should allow him to keep Cruz from dragging him into an offensive rut. I think Faber will wear Cruz down by landing shots, putting him on his back, and threatening with submissions before capitalizing in the later rounds. Faber by submission.

Prediction:  Urijah “The California Kid” via fourth round rear naked choke.

• Bet on the UnderDog Faber @+123 for the Win.

To add  a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds.   Check out my review of Bodog here…

UFC  Middleweight bout:  Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben

Odds:  (-175 Silva /+145 Leben )

Betting Pick:  Leben

Bet on this fight at Bodog.com

The semi-main event has all the makings of an instant classic, as Chris “The Crippler” Leben will square off against living legend Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva in a Middleweight showdown fans have been clamoring for ever since Silva’s debut. Both of these guys are known for their destructive punching and their willingness to stand in the pocket and let their hands go, so this is a fight that promises a lot of exciting action. Silva’s best years are definitely behind him, but he is still a dangerous fighter with a surplus of punching power, and Leben is going to have his hands full here.

Wanderlei Silva came by his nickname, “The Axe Murderer”, honestly. Silva’s PRIDE career provided some of the most brutal highlight reel knockouts in the history of the sport. Unfortunately for UFC fans, Silva did not make his way back to America until he was past his prime, and his UFC career has fallen far short of the brilliance he showed in Japan. Having dropped five of his last seven fights, Silva is clearly in the midst of a sharp decline, but he is still a very exciting fighter who possesses the technical acumen and killer instinct that made him famous. Even having lost a step, Silva is not a pushover fight for anyone in the UFC, and his Muay Thai and boxing are still extremely formidable, as he showed in his last fight, a clear-cut unanimous decision over highly-regarded contender Michael “The Count” Bisping.

Chris “The Crippler” Leben, whose bad guy persona helped make the first season of The Ultimate Fighter such a huge hit, has proven that he is a lot more than a big personality. One of the UFC’s most exciting fighters, Leben has extremely powerful striking, an underrated ground game, and one of the most aggressive fighting styles in the sport. Leben is one of the toughest fighters on the planet, and he is more than willing to eat repeated hard shots in order to move forward and throw haymakers at his opponents. He is not the most technically proficient striker in the world, but he has a very solid chin and an insane amount of heart to go with extremely heavy hands. Leben’s best attribute is his tenacity. Win or lose, you can bet that he is going to show up ready to fight and put on a show.

In his prime, Wanderlei would have made Leben pay dearly for daring to trade shots with him and keep moving forward, but I think those days are unfortunately gone. Silva lacks the speed and power that defined him for so long, and I think that this Silva may just wilt in the face of Leben’s aggression. Both of these guys can still throw hard punches, and both of them are capable of being knocked out, so it is a safe bet that this fight won’t make it to the final bell. I think that Leben is just younger, fresher, and at this point the more powerful striker. He will send Silva out with an exciting fight and a loss. Leben by T/KO.

Prediction:  Chris “The Crippler” Leben via second round T/KO.

• Bet on Leben here @+145.

To add  a little more excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bodog.com Odds.   Check out my review of Bodog here…