Tag: Flagship

UFC 132 Fight Card: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber Head to Toe Breakdown

UFC 132 Fight Card: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber Head to Toe BreakdownBleacher Report’s Andrew Barr:Experience:Experience-wise, these two should be pretty evenly matched.Both of them have captured championships within the WEC and they both defended th…

UFC 132 Fight Card: Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber Head to Toe Breakdown

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Barr:

Experience:

Experience-wise, these two should be pretty evenly matched.

Both of them have captured championships within the WEC and they both defended their belts multiple times.

Neither fighter should be phased by the pressure of being the main event, as both have been in that position before (although not for the UFC).

Faber could be considered to have a slight experience advantage because Dominick is not the most dangerous fighter he’s faced, but Urijah is debatably the most dangerous opponent Cruz has ever faced.

Edge: Push

Cardio

Similar to their experience levels, these two should be pretty much dead even as far as cardio goes.

Faber and Cruz both have tremendous cardio and neither of them are strangers to going all five rounds.

If this fight were to go on forever, until one fighter finally tired, I would pick Dominick to outlast Urijah.

That is not the case, however, it is a standard five round fights and both guys have proved that they can make it five rounds without gassing.

Edge: Push

Striking

Dominick is quick on his feet and is always moving in and out of his opponents range.

If this fight stays standing, expect Cruz to use his superior movement and quickness to outclass the slower Faber. Dominick might also be able to use his striking to keep Urijah off balance, in order to set up takedowns.

Faber will have the power advantage, but neither of these guys are power strikers, so Urijah won’t be able to threaten with one punch knockout power.

Edge: Dominick Cruz

Chin

Urijah has been TKO’d before and Cruz has not.

That said, Faber has faced much more dangerous strikers than Cruz has.

Urijah went all five rounds with current featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Anyone who can do that has to have one hell of a chin.

I can’t really give Faber the advantage, though, because Cruz has never been knocked out.

Both guys have proven they can take a hell of a punch and neither of them are devastating strikers, so this one is about even.

Edge: Push

Grappling

In college, Faber competed in Division I of the NCAA. He was never champion, but in 2002 he did finish top 12. He also finished second in the University Nationals for Freestyle Wrestling.

Dominick started wrestling in the seventh grade and was very successful in wrestling throughout high school. Unfortunately, an injury stopped Cruz from wrestling in college and so he has no NCAA experience to compare to Faber’s.

Cruz and Faber both have excellent wrestling, but I think Faber is the more powerful of the two and the fact that he competed throughout college, while Cruz was unable to, should help him.

It’s possible that Dominick could use his superior quickness to gain a wrestling advantage (see Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard 2), but I’m leaning towards Urijah for this one.

Edge: Urijah Faber

Submissions

Urijah has 13 wins by submission, Cruz has one.

Faber is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has submitted black belts before. Dominick is not ranked in BJJ.

Urijah has submitted Cruz before with a guillotine choke.

I will give Dominick some credit, he has definitely improved his submission defense since his first fight with Faber. Since then he has fought some solid submission guys and not been tapped.

Edge: Urijah Faber

Winner

This is such a close fight and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m far from certain about the prediction I’ve come up with.

As I see it, this fight hinges on Faber’s ability to get it to the ground and, ultimately, I think he can do it.

Winner: Urijah Faber via Third-Round Submission

UFC 132 Results: Predicting the Outcome of Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

UFC 132 Results: Predicting the Outcome of Dominick Cruz vs Urijah FaberBleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:Round OneBoth men are capable strikers, but I think Urijah and Dominick will take their time in the opening minutes of the fight, feeling …

UFC 132 Results: Predicting the Outcome of Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:

Round One

Both men are capable strikers, but I think Urijah and Dominick will take their time in the opening minutes of the fight, feeling each other out and getting familiar with their opponent.

I think we will see a few flurries of Dominick’s trademark combinations coming forward, but nothing too committed or too reckless. Faber will be looking for the takedown early in the fight, as he is the far more accomplished submission artist—holding 13 submission victories to his name, compared to Cruz’s single win via tap-out.

Faber attempts takedowns in round 1, but Cruz does well to snuff them.

The Story of The Round: Cruz utilizes fast combinations whilst Faber looks for the takedown—an expected start to the fight.

Round Two

By now, both fighters are comfortable with each other’s style and approach to start to loosen up a bit. Dominick’s stand-up game starts to improve as he lands some good shots on Faber. Cruz has to be careful when moving forward, as Faber is always on the lookout for a takedown. And there it is!

Faber gets a single leg takedown and Cruz is now in dangerous territory.

He is on his back and Faber is no slouch from inside the guard. If Cruz can somehow get himself into top position his ground and pound would be a welcome asset to his arsenal. As it is though, the round grinds down to a close as both fighters finish on the mat—Faber unable to slap on any significant submission attempts and Cruz is happy to see the second round come to an end.

The Story of The Round: Faber takes Cruz down and scores big. Cruz is fairly defensive for the best part of the five minutes.

Round Three

Dominick is a lot more wary of the takedown now and doesn’t leave any legs trailing. He looks a lot more alert on his feet—as a few swift jabs followed by a head kick just scuff Faber’s defending arm.

The two fighters exchange punches—which leads to an entangled clinch upon the cage wall. Cruz utilizes the support of the caging in order to prevent a takedown. In trying too hard for the slam to the mat, Faber has found himself locked into a guillotine.

The fighters fall to the ground, but as they do, Cruz’s guillotine is broken and he finds himself on his back. This time Faber is able to reach side control. Cruz does a good job of preventing the mount, as Faber is unable to do much damage from the advantageous position he finds himself in. The horn rings and that’s the end of round 3.

The Story of The Round: Both fighters displayed some effective stand-up, Cruz scoring slightly better. Faber once again showed his strengths when the fight went to the mat.

Round Four

The championship rounds. The last two rounds when good fighters are separated from great fighters.

Straight away, Faber looks desperate for that early takedown—shooting in but not getting close. He thinks an early takedown in the round would spell great danger for Cruz and I have no reason to think any different. However, Dominick isn’t the Champion for nothing, and he quickly tries to neutralize this by using his strong stand-up game.

Mid-way through the round Faber is able to get the take down, but it doesn’t turn out quite how he would have liked!

Cruz finds himself in top position thanks to a sleek sweep, and now proceeds to rain down a barrage of devastating elbows and punches. The referee is close by and Faber looks in trouble. The referee takes a closer look and IT’S ALL OVER!

Dominick Cruz defeats Urijah Faber through a devastating ground and pound!

Cruz is jubilant as he circles the ring in celebration, whilst Faber is conscious but hurting from the defeat.

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Picks Chris Leben over Wanderliei Silva

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Picks Chris Leben over Wanderliei SilvaBleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:Wanderlei Silva responded to fellow UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen’s comments on Twitter by saying that he would “kill him fast” if the smack talk d…

UFC 132 Results: Chael Sonnen Picks Chris Leben over Wanderliei Silva

Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:

Wanderlei Silva responded to fellow UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen’s comments on Twitter by saying that he would “kill him fast” if the smack talk did not stop from the Team Quest standout.

Well, if that’s the case, hopefully Sonnen has his will up to date and has someone close to him to write his obituary. 

UFC.com posted a video of Sonnen previewing the co-main event of UFC 132, where Silva takes on Chris “The Crippler” Leben.

Needless to say, Sonnen did not give Silva a chance in winning this 185 pound affair, which many are seriously considering to be a Fight of the Year candidate.

Shockingly, Sonnen started off by saying “Wanderlei, he can be pleasing to watch. He goes out and he’ll mix it up for a little bit,” the controversial middleweight stated.

However, the former All-American wrestler did not wait long to take another verbal shot at one of his oldest adversaries.

“Eventually, Wanderlei’s fights all end the same. The referee pulling his mouthpiece out and a doctor shinning a flashlight in his eyes.”

While Sonnen is obviously trying to rile up the former Pride star, it is hard to ignore the fact that “The Axe Murderer” has lost five of his last seven, three of those losses coming via knockout.

Sonnen continued by saying “I think it’ll be a pretty fun match to watch, but I don’t think it’s going to be ultra competitive. I think it’s going to be Chris Leben.”

Uncle Chael wasn’t done there, also mentioning that “I think Leben’s got the edge everywhere. He’s a little bit faster, he punches a little bit harder, but the biggest strength Chris will have, is his ability to take a punch.”

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UFC 132 Results: Predicting UFC 132 Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber

Bleacher Report’s Dale De Souza:Even if it meant saving MMA, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber could not possibly find it in themselves to like one another.Ever since Cruz signed his name over Faber’s face at a 2007 signing (and subsequently paid for it…

Bleacher Report’s Dale De Souza:

Even if it meant saving MMA, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber could not possibly find it in themselves to like one another.

Ever since Cruz signed his name over Faber’s face at a 2007 signing (and subsequently paid for it at WEC 26), the heat has been on between the two, with Cruz beating Faber’s Team Alpha Male teammate Joseph Benavidez twice as well as another close training partner of Faber’s in Scott Jorgensen.

The trail has led to a rematch with Faber in a bout that is very easy for one to break down, as it once again breaks down to Faber’s wrestling and grappling against Cruz’s striking with cardio being the X-factor in this bout.

Expect this one to be a close fight that may look a little bit like Faber’s fight at times, but expect the champ to pull a few show-stealing moves that ultimately help nab him some of the closer rounds from Faber.

Two judges will give at least one round to Faber, while one judge will look at this fight and ultimately give Cruz all five rounds despite Faber doing well enough to take at least one or two rounds.

Once the unanimous decision is announced and Cruz retains his belt, the cries will commence for a final bout between The Dominator and The California Kid—the score will be evened on Saturday, but it will be far from settled.

UFC 132 Fight Card Preview: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber Fight Prediction

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:Round OneBoth men are capable strikers, but I think Urijah and Dominick will take their time in the opening minutes of the fight, feeling each other out and getting familiar with their opponent.I think we will …

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:

Round One

Both men are capable strikers, but I think Urijah and Dominick will take their time in the opening minutes of the fight, feeling each other out and getting familiar with their opponent.

I think we will see a few flurries of Dominick’s trademark combinations coming forward, but nothing too committed or too reckless. Faber will be looking for the takedown early in the fight, as he is the far more accomplished submission artist—holding 13 submission victories to his name, compared to Cruz’s single win via tap-out.

Faber attempts takedowns in round 1, but Cruz does well to snuff them.

The Story of The Round: Cruz utilizes fast combinations whilst Faber looks for the takedown—an expected start to the fight.

Round Two

By now, both fighters are comfortable with each other’s style and approach to start to loosen up a bit. Dominick’s stand-up game starts to improve as he lands some good shots on Faber. Cruz has to be careful when moving forward, as Faber is always on the lookout for a takedown. And there it is!

Faber gets a single leg takedown and Cruz is now in dangerous territory.

He is on his back and Faber is no slouch from inside the guard. If Cruz can somehow get himself into top position his ground and pound would be a welcome asset to his arsenal. As it is though, the round grinds down to a close as both fighters finish on the mat—Faber unable to slap on any significant submission attempts and Cruz is happy to see the second round come to an end.

The Story of The Round: Faber takes Cruz down and scores big. Cruz is fairly defensive for the best part of the five minutes.

Round Three

Dominick is a lot more wary of the takedown now and doesn’t leave any legs trailing. He looks a lot more alert on his feet—as a few swift jabs followed by a head kick just scuff Faber’s defending arm.

The two fighters exchange punches—which leads to an entangled clinch upon the cage wall. Cruz utilizes the support of the caging in order to prevent a takedown. In trying too hard for the slam to the mat, Faber has found himself locked into a guillotine.

The fighters fall to the ground, but as they do, Cruz’s guillotine is broken and he finds himself on his back. This time Faber is able to reach side control. Cruz does a good job of preventing the mount, as Faber is unable to do much damage from the advantageous position he finds himself in. The horn rings and that’s the end of round 3.

The Story of The Round: Both fighters displayed some effective stand-up, Cruz scoring slightly better. Faber once again showed his strengths when the fight went to the mat.

Round Four

The championship rounds. The last two rounds when good fighters are separated from great fighters.

Straight away, Faber looks desperate for that early takedown—shooting in but not getting close. He thinks an early takedown in the round would spell great danger for Cruz and I have no reason to think any different. However, Dominick isn’t the Champion for nothing, and he quickly tries to neutralize this by using his strong stand-up game.

Mid-way through the round Faber is able to get the take down, but it doesn’t turn out quite how he would have liked!

Cruz finds himself in top position thanks to a sleek sweep, and now proceeds to rain down a barrage of devastating elbows and punches. The referee is close by and Faber looks in trouble. The referee takes a closer look and IT’S ALL OVER!

Dominick Cruz defeats Urijah Faber through a devastating ground and pound!

Cruz is jubilant as he circles the ring in celebration, whilst Faber is conscious but hurting from the defeat.

UFC 132 Fight Card: Carlos Condit’s Most Impressive Wins

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Mahlmann:UFC 120 vs Dan HardyDan Hardy entered the UFC with a 20-6(1) record and rattled off four straight victories before getting thoroughly dominated by Georges “Rush” St-Pierre when the welterweight title was on the l…

Bleacher Report’s Andrew Mahlmann:

UFC 120 vs Dan Hardy

Dan Hardy entered the UFC with a 20-6(1) record and rattled off four straight victories before getting thoroughly dominated by Georges “Rush” St-Pierre when the welterweight title was on the line.

Hardy looked to bounce back by knocking out another fighter who loved to stand and bang: none other than Carlos Condit.

However, Condit proved he was the superior fighter, knocking out “The Outlaw” late in the first round of their 2010 encounter. 

Condit is the only fighter who has defeated Hardy via knockout, showing how impressive his chin and punching power truly are.

Rumble on the Rock vs Frank Trigg

Condit was a big underdog to Frank Trigg heading into the semifinals of the 2006 Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament.

The Natural Born Killer was only 21 years old at the time, so questions regarding his abilities were fairly expected. 

Their fight began as most anticipated, with Trigg getting a takedown almost immediately. 

However, Trigg’s jiu-jitsu game was very raw back then, as he was primarily a big, strong wrestler. 

Therefore, he had little respect for Condit’s submission game off his back, and ended up walking right into a triangle armbar.

Trigg’s held on as long as he could, but eventually decided to tap before Condit could dislocate his elbow.

This is when people truly began to realize that Condit was a real threat at 170 pounds.

WEC 35 vs Hiromitsu Miura

This was Condit’s third and final defense of his WEC welterweight title. Miura, another highly respected striker, was expected to give Condit all he could handle in this one.

That’s exactly what happened, as the fans seated in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino enjoyed an all out war as the main event.

The fight was not without controversy, though, as the fighter were stood up on two occasions when Miura was on top of Condit.

Many felt that while Miura was not all that active on top, the stand-ups were premature.

While some even questioned the fourth-round TKO stoppage, Condit visibly hurt Miura very badly, as the challenger on the ground several minutes after the fight ended.

This bout showed that Condit could not only dish out punishment but he could take it as well, in this Fight of the Night effort.

UFC Fight Night 19 vs Jake Ellenberger

Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger, a fighter with a high wrestling pedigree, showed off his powerful punches in the first round of his meeting with Condit.

Ellenberger visibly rocked Condit with big punches in the first round and neutralized The Natural Born Killer’s jiu-jitsu with his excellent top control.

However, Condit refused to be rattled or stray from his game plan, and ended up winning a very close split decision with quality jiu-jitsu transitions and effective strikes from top. 

Ellenberger is unarguably another tough contender at 170 pounds, so a second encounter between these two could prove to be quite interesting in the future.

UFC 115 vs Rory McDonald

Rory MacDonald is the definition of an MMA prodigy, making his professional debut at 15 years of age!

MacDonald took on Condit in June of last year, in a fight to see which young fighter was ready to take their game to the next level.

Condit was getting beat definitively for the first time in years and had no answers for MacDonald’s takedowns, top control and innovate striking through the first two rounds.

Just as it looked like MacDonald was going to cruise to an impressive unanimous decision victory, Condit came out swinging for the fences in the third and final round.

Condit finally managed to get the better of MacDonald with striking exchanges on the feet, and completely dominated the Canadian prospect with punches and elbows once he got on top of him with about a minute remaining.

A bloody and beaten MacDonald saw the fight get stopped with a mere seven seconds remaining, giving Condit the TKO victory.

It was later revealed that MacDonald would have won the split decision if the fight had gone the distance. 

While it is rare to see a fight stopped with such little time left, it was hard to argue given how vicious Condit’s relentless ground-and-pound was.    

This was Condit’s second Fight of the Night honor and is his biggest win to date, since it truly showcased how much grit, determination and talent The Natural Born Killer truly possesses.