For the third time in their mixed martial arts careers, Dominick Cruz (22-1) and Urijah Faber (33-9) went toe-to-toe. This time, the two rivals stepped inside The Forum in Inglewood, CA for UFC 199. Cruz’s bantamweight championship was on the line.
“The Dominator” lived up to his nickname once again.
The champion immediately took the challenger to the ground as Faber failed to latch on a guillotine. “The California Kid” scrambled, but Cruz pushed him against the fence. Commentator Joe Rogan mentioned Faber’s trunks falling down and referee Herb Dean took care of the issue shortly after. The challenger lifted Cruz up and dumped him, but Cruz ended up in top control. The two returned standing and separated. Blood formed under the left eye of Cruz. “The Dominator” popped Faber with a couple of jabs and a left hook and the horn sounded a few seconds later.
A huge left hand by Cruz dropped Faber in the second round. Faber landed an upkick on a charging Cruz. The champion landed a knee to the body when Faber stood back up. Cruz connected with some stiff leg kicks. For the most part, Faber was on the defensive after he was clipped. He went for a hook, but missed. The champion went for a high kick. A right hand over the top landed for Faber and the round came to an end.
Faber was kicked in the leg and jabbed early in the third round. “The California Kid” was clipped with a right hand. “The Dominator” found the mark for his leg kick and a straight right hand. The movement of Cruz caused the challenger to hesitate. Cruz nailed Faber with a left hand. Cruz peppered his opponent with a combination. The remainder of the round saw the challenger remain flustered by the champion’s movement. When the round ended, Cruz went up to Faber and was shoved away.
The story of round four continued to be Cruz’s movement. Faber went for a high kick, but he found air. “The Dominator” went for a counter hook, but missed. Faber closed the distance, but he was dropped by a right hand. A jab found the mark for the champion as Faber’s strikes didn’t find a home. Round four ended and “The California Kid” looked frustrated.
Cruz opened up in the final round with a combination that had Faber backing up toward the fence. A right hand landed for Faber, but once again Cruz wasn’t there for the follow up. A right hand from Faber was answered by a jab and an uppercut from “The Dominator.” The champion got the back of Faber, but failed to get the hooks in and he settled for a body kick on the break. A takedown was completed by Cruz and he moved to side control. The challenger’s trunks were once again falling down.
The final horn sounded and the result was obvious.
Final Result: Dominick Cruz def. Urijah Faber via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46)
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