UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber — Live Results and Commentary

UFC 132 Dominick Cruz Urijah Faber MMA photos
(After three days of utter confusion, Arianny finally realizes what ‘Chocolate Al’ means. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this album, click here.)

As you make plans for your various drunken 4th of July celebrations, keep in mind that some of the men you see tonight may be too injured to grill burgers on Monday. Appreciate their sacrifice, ladies and gentlemen. Now then, who wants to see some dudes get kicked in the head and choked unconcious?

Manning the liveblog duties for this evening is CagePotato rising star Jason Moles, who will be providing round-by-round updates from the UFC 132 pay-per-view card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Travel past the jump to join our little liveblog party, and refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for being here, and may God bless this great nation.

UFC 132 Dominick Cruz Urijah Faber MMA photos
(After three days of utter confusion, Arianny finally realizes what ‘Chocolate Al’ means. Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this album, click here.)

As you make plans for your various drunken 4th of July celebrations, keep in mind that some of the men you see tonight may be too injured to grill burgers on Monday. Appreciate their sacrifice, ladies and gentlemen. Now then, who wants to see some dudes get kicked in the head and choked unconscious?

Manning the liveblog duties for this evening is CagePotato rising star Jason Moles, who will be providing round-by-round updates from the UFC 132 pay-per-view card beginning at 9 p.m. ET. Travel past the jump to join our little liveblog party, and refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest. Thanks for being here, and may God bless this great nation.

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Both guys walk toward the octagon with intensity burning in their eyes. Condit fist bumps at least half a dozen fans on his along the way. Standard bro hugs, mouth guard and cup check after that.

Round 1

Both men play ring around the posie as they feel each other out. Kim is first to strike with a nice head kick followed up by a takedown. Not that it mattered because Condit swept to mouth and immediately followed up with a guillotine attempt. Kim escapes and they stand back up. Condit tries for a head kick and a superman punch off the fence like he’s related to Anthony Pettis or something. Both men trade a fed push kicks and jabs. Then WHAM! Condit buries his flying knee right in Kim’s grill and “It’s all over”!

Winner: Carlos Condit KO 2:02 Round 1.

 

Ryan Bader vs. Tito Ortiz

Tito comes out to ‘Not Afraid’ by Eminem, Mexi-American flag in tow. Joe and Goldie’s man crush on Tito is in full effect.

 

Round 1

Bader wastes no time in initiating contact after they touch gloves. From the get-go he is in full attack mode throwing mean kicks and jabs mixed with a few hooks. Tito looking for his opening. Bader continues his pursuit and throws a few and misses a few. Crowd starts chanting “TITO! TITO! TITO!” and like Hulkamaniacs back in the day firing up Hulk Hogan, Tito comes to life. HOLY Firecrackers!!! Tito drops Bader with a solid right punch and jumps on him to finish him with a guillotine. Bader chokes and betters everywhere are cursing everything under the sun.

Love Tito’s Shirt: I’m not the next SOMEBODY – I’m the first TITO ORTIZ.

Winner: Tito Ortiz Sub 3:05 Round 1

 

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Too busy picking my jaw up off the floor to pay attention to what happened as these two guys walked out. Please accept my sincerest apologies.

 

Round 1

Both throw kicks early. Wiman telegraphs haymakers but utilizes nice leg kicks. Wiman shoots in for a takedown to no avail. A missed headkick by Wiman leads into a frenzied back and forth boxing match for a brief period of time. The fans like this stuff. Wiman gets Siver up against the fence and dirty boxes him a little before the German attempts a guillotine (hey, it worked for the other guys, right?) They take the center of the cage and Siver throws punches in bunches and misses just as many. Wiman gets a takedown and ends the round on top.

Round 2

Wiman shoots in for a takedown – against the fence they go. After what seems like an eternity of minimal action (ok, I’m exaggerating) the crowd boos loud enough and they step it up.  Silver stuffs a takedown but then Wiman drops down and rolls him over, winds up in Siver’s guard. Wiman takes the remaining time left in the round to show you how to properly use your elbows in a fight. Siver gets cut so bad and the blood flows so freely he looks like a firework accident victim. Round ends with bloody Siver under confident Wiman.

 

Round 3

Silver stuffs another Wiman takedown then finally throws his patented spinning back kick but fails to land it. They trade punches then Wiman shoots in again and Siver stuffs it. Against the cage they go, both men working hard.  They get back to the center of the cage and Siver clips Wiman and the round ends with Siver trying to sub Wiman.

Winner by Unanimous (29-28) Decision: Dennis Siver.

 

WTF!!!! What ******* fight were those judges watching?!

 

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben

Chris Leben comes out looking like dipped his head in Kool-Aid. Sandstorm hits the speakers filling the crowd with nostalgia. Wanderlei looks calm and ready. I really don’t want to see either of these guys lose.

Round 1

Wand strikes first but it doesn’t even matter. Leben proved all the media types right and placed his big right hand on Silva’s glass chin and he goes down. Leben follows up with several well placed left hands and finishes him off in the first minute of the the very first round. Damn. We still love you Wanderlei.

Main Event: Bantamweight Championship Fight

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

As always, ‘California Love’ plays as Faber walks his way to the cage. No braids. No headbands. Just a smile and a pair of black gloves. Cruz is booed before his music even hits. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, the pep in his step never fades.

Round 1

No touch of gloves. I know, you’re really surprised by that one. Right out of the gate Cruz comes out swinging and lands first punch. Faber responds with a kick and moves about. The crowd cheers for Faber minus the Hulkamania effect as he ties up with Cruz. Faber lands short elbow on exit while Cruz lands a switch kick. Faber lands a sold punch – Cruz remains unfazed. Both men go back and forth, neither doing more than the other. Just as the bell sounds, Cruz gets Faber to the ground.

Round 2

Urijah stuffs a couple more takedowns before the pace picks up. These two move so much that Mazagatti can hardly move out of their way . Faber nails a body kick as Cruz answers with a combination of punches. Faber lands big right hand, big pop from he crowd. Cruz attempts a few Superman punches but doesn’t dazzle until he gets Urijah to the ground. Sadly, it didn’t last long. End of round 1.

Round 3

Dominick Cruz is relentlessly attacking Urijah Faber, though it seems he’s choosing his shots wisely. Faber eats a few punches before taking Cruz to the mat who then scrambles to his feet – but not without getting cracked with Faber’s elbows on the way out. Cruz shoots another takedown but Faber catches him and makes him pay for going to the proverbial well one too many times.

The No Longer JUST Championship Rounds

Round 4

Cruz starts off landing a solid right hand followed by a hook and a high kick. Not to be outdone, Faber drops the champ with a big right hand. He pops right back up and they both connect. The idiot fans then start booing as two men continue to go at it with everything they’ve got throwing several combos. Cruz shoots in again with history repeating itself.

Round 5

Dominick Crus comes out with a flying knee, attacking like a rabbid animal. Cruz gets takedown but Faber gets right up. A flying knee by Faber misses but he continues to pursue his arch nemesis. Cruz gets multiple takedowns while Faber scrambles to his feet almost immediately.  Then Cruz turns it on and completely dominates Faber the rest of the round.

Winner: Unanimous Descision: Dominick Cruz.

Lloyd Irving gives Cruz his blue belt.

 

That’s it for me guys. Hope you enjoyed this as much as I have. Please celebrate your independence responsibly and don’t lose any fingers.

 

 

 

 

UFC 132 Bonuses: Cruz vs. Faber Is Fight of Night

Filed under:

Dominick Cruz avenged his only career loss, going the distance with Urijah Faber and defending his bantamweight title at UFC 132 on Saturday night. The back-and-forth main event, which had scores all over the map from the judges, earned Cruz and Faber $75,000 bonus checks for Fight of the Night.

Tito Ortiz‘s first-round major upset submission of Ryan Bader on Saturday earned him Submission of the Night honors and an additional $75,000, and Carlos Condit also picked up an extra check for his Knockout of the Night win over Dong Hyun Kim to open the pay-per-view.

UFC president Dana White announced the winners and amounts following Saturday’s card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The main event bantamweight title fight between champion Cruz and former featherweight champ Faber lived up to its billing. That was a major feat considering the amount of animosity between the two fighters, who have had bad blood since their first fight, a WEC featherweight title fight in March 2007 that saw Faber defend his 145-pound title – and hand Cruz the only loss of his career heading into Saturday night.

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UFC 132 Fight Night Photos
The referee checks on Wanderlei Silva after his knockout loss to Chris Leben at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz in their UFC bantamweight championship bout at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber exchanges with Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz misses a punch against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz tries to avoid a kick from Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz punches Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a right hand at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber knees Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber takes a breather at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Urijah Faber punches Dominick Cruz at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos

Dominick Cruz throws a flying knee at Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC 132 Photos


Faber (25-5, 1-1 UFC), who dropped down from featherweight to bantamweight after losing a WEC title shot against Jose Aldo in April 2010, went the distance with the champ, knocking him down several times and finding some success counter-punching in close as the unorthodox Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) backed out from tight exchanges.

After four back-and-forth rounds that could have been scored for either fighter, Cruz came out more aggressive in the fifth, trying a flying knee and shooting for a takedown. After landing a knee, Faber briefly had a guillotine that he couldn’t fully sink in. A pair of Cruz takedowns, though, likely earned some points with the judges – though Faber was up quickly after each. But with 45 seconds left, Cruz landed another pair of perhaps point-searching scramble takedowns that sealed the deal on at least one scorecard.

Cruz won a unanimous decision with scores all over the map: 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47. “The dude hits hard. His hands are very fast. They were prepared,” Cruz said after the fight. Faber now has lost four straight title fights – twice to Mike Brown, once to Aldo, and now to Cruz, who avenged his only career loss.

Ortiz (16-8-1, 15-8-1 UFC) had his back against the wall going into the fight with Bader. As reported by MMA Fighting in January, White said another loss from Ortiz, the most successful light heavyweight champion in UFC history, would be his last fight in the promotion. With no wins in nearly five years, since a TKO of Ken Shamrock in October 2006, Ortiz has also battled injuries and surgeries outside the cage, as well as a well-publicized feud with White.

Though he was an underdog of as much as 5-to-1 at some online sportsbooks, Ortiz stunned most of the MMA world when he caught Bader (12-2, 5-2 UFC) with a tight right hand that dropped the Season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Ortiz pounced, landed a few ground-and-pound shots, then locked in an arm-in guillotine that forced Bader to tap for the second straight fight, this time just 1:56 into the first round. Bader lost for the first time in February to Jon Jones, who went on to get a title shot and took the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March.

Condit (27-5, 4-1 UFC), the former WEC welterweight champion, won his fourth straight fight and third straight bonus award. His first-round KO of Dan Hardy at UFC 120 was a Knockout of the Night, and his comeback win over Michael MacDonald at UFC 115 was a Fight of the Night winner. Condit and Dong Hyun Kim (14-1-1, 1 NC, 5-1, 1 NC UFC) fought relatively safe and tight for the first couple minutes of Round 1, but Condit then threw a flying knee that landed right on Kim’s chin, knocking him to the mat. Condit quickly swarmed and almost as quickly finished the fight with punches on the ground.

After the fight, Condit said he nearly had to pull out of the fight with an illness two weeks ago, but he believes he’s ready for a welterweight title shot. Current champion Georges St-Pierre defends his title against former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz at UFC 137. “What do you think, Joe Silva? Am I ready for a title shot or what? I certainly hope so,” Condit said.

The Knockout of the Night bonus looked to be Rafael dos Anjos’ without much likely competition when it happened to open the Spike TV prelims. He stopped George Sotiropoulos in an upset with a big right haymaker less than a minute into the fight. But then Melvin Guillard got a huge knockout of Shane Roller to keep rolling in the lightweight division. Condit’s win made it three straight KO stoppages when he opened the pay-per-view with his big TKO. And Chris Leben, in the co-main event, knocked out Pride legend Wanderlei Silva just 27 seconds into the fight – the quickest loss of Silva’s lengthy career.

 

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Filed under:

Dominick Cruz avenged his only career loss, going the distance with Urijah Faber and defending his bantamweight title at UFC 132 on Saturday night. The back-and-forth main event, which had scores all over the map from the judges, earned Cruz and Faber $75,000 bonus checks for Fight of the Night.

Tito Ortiz‘s first-round major upset submission of Ryan Bader on Saturday earned him Submission of the Night honors and an additional $75,000, and Carlos Condit also picked up an extra check for his Knockout of the Night win over Dong Hyun Kim to open the pay-per-view.

UFC president Dana White announced the winners and amounts following Saturday’s card at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

The main event bantamweight title fight between champion Cruz and former featherweight champ Faber lived up to its billing. That was a major feat considering the amount of animosity between the two fighters, who have had bad blood since their first fight, a WEC featherweight title fight in March 2007 that saw Faber defend his 145-pound title – and hand Cruz the only loss of his career heading into Saturday night.


Faber (25-5, 1-1 UFC), who dropped down from featherweight to bantamweight after losing a WEC title shot against Jose Aldo in April 2010, went the distance with the champ, knocking him down several times and finding some success counter-punching in close as the unorthodox Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) backed out from tight exchanges.

After four back-and-forth rounds that could have been scored for either fighter, Cruz came out more aggressive in the fifth, trying a flying knee and shooting for a takedown. After landing a knee, Faber briefly had a guillotine that he couldn’t fully sink in. A pair of Cruz takedowns, though, likely earned some points with the judges – though Faber was up quickly after each. But with 45 seconds left, Cruz landed another pair of perhaps point-searching scramble takedowns that sealed the deal on at least one scorecard.

Cruz won a unanimous decision with scores all over the map: 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47. “The dude hits hard. His hands are very fast. They were prepared,” Cruz said after the fight. Faber now has lost four straight title fights – twice to Mike Brown, once to Aldo, and now to Cruz, who avenged his only career loss.

Ortiz (16-8-1, 15-8-1 UFC) had his back against the wall going into the fight with Bader. As reported by MMA Fighting in January, White said another loss from Ortiz, the most successful light heavyweight champion in UFC history, would be his last fight in the promotion. With no wins in nearly five years, since a TKO of Ken Shamrock in October 2006, Ortiz has also battled injuries and surgeries outside the cage, as well as a well-publicized feud with White.

Though he was an underdog of as much as 5-to-1 at some online sportsbooks, Ortiz stunned most of the MMA world when he caught Bader (12-2, 5-2 UFC) with a tight right hand that dropped the Season 8 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Ortiz pounced, landed a few ground-and-pound shots, then locked in an arm-in guillotine that forced Bader to tap for the second straight fight, this time just 1:56 into the first round. Bader lost for the first time in February to Jon Jones, who went on to get a title shot and took the belt from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua in March.

Condit (27-5, 4-1 UFC), the former WEC welterweight champion, won his fourth straight fight and third straight bonus award. His first-round KO of Dan Hardy at UFC 120 was a Knockout of the Night, and his comeback win over Michael MacDonald at UFC 115 was a Fight of the Night winner. Condit and Dong Hyun Kim (14-1-1, 1 NC, 5-1, 1 NC UFC) fought relatively safe and tight for the first couple minutes of Round 1, but Condit then threw a flying knee that landed right on Kim’s chin, knocking him to the mat. Condit quickly swarmed and almost as quickly finished the fight with punches on the ground.

After the fight, Condit said he nearly had to pull out of the fight with an illness two weeks ago, but he believes he’s ready for a welterweight title shot. Current champion Georges St-Pierre defends his title against former Strikeforce welterweight champ Nick Diaz at UFC 137. “What do you think, Joe Silva? Am I ready for a title shot or what? I certainly hope so,” Condit said.

The Knockout of the Night bonus looked to be Rafael dos Anjos’ without much likely competition when it happened to open the Spike TV prelims. He stopped George Sotiropoulos in an upset with a big right haymaker less than a minute into the fight. But then Melvin Guillard got a huge knockout of Shane Roller to keep rolling in the lightweight division. Condit’s win made it three straight KO stoppages when he opened the pay-per-view with his big TKO. And Chris Leben, in the co-main event, knocked out Pride legend Wanderlei Silva just 27 seconds into the fight – the quickest loss of Silva’s lengthy career.

 

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UFC 132 Weigh-In Results & Videos

If you caught last night’s weigh-ins and aren’t amped up for this event, something is wrong with you. No, it wasn’t as eventful as last weekend’s affair, but that’s a good thing as all bouts are expected to take place this evening.

Everyone lived up to their contractual agreements and made weight, and everyone lived up to societal expectations and played their respective roles to a tee. If psychotically tense staredowns are an accurate predictor of fights, only time stands between Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva, and a brawl for the ages. Tito did his best high school bully impression, unsuccessfully trying yet again to make his opponent flinch during the face-off. As for Faber and Cruz, there’s nothing to be said between these two that a few hundred kicks and punches couldn’t say better.

After the jump, check out the Cruz-Faber and Bader-Ortiz weigh-ins and get the full results from the scales.

If you caught last night’s weigh-ins and aren’t amped up for this event, something is wrong with you. No, it wasn’t as eventful as last weekend’s affair, but that’s a good thing as all bouts are expected to take place this evening.

Everyone lived up to their contractual agreements and made weight, and everyone lived up to societal expectations and played their respective roles to a tee. If psychotically tense staredowns are an accurate predictor of fights, only time stands between Chris Leben, Wanderlei Silva, and a brawl for the ages. Tito did his best high school bully impression, unsuccessfully trying yet again to make his opponent flinch during the face-off. As for Faber and Cruz, there’s nothing to be said between these two that a few hundred kicks and punches couldn’t say better.

 

 

Full Weigh-In Results (via MMAFighting.com)

Pay-Per-View Bouts
Dominick Cruz (134) vs. Urijah Faber (135)
Wanderlei Silva (186) vs. Chris Leben (185)
Tito Ortiz (205) vs. Ryan Bader (205)
Carlos Condit (170) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (171)
Dennis Siver (156) vs. Matt Wiman (156)

Spike TV Preliminary Bouts
George Sotiropoulos (156) vs. Rafael Dos Anjos (155)
Melvin Guillard (155) vs. Shane Roller (155)

Preliminary Bouts
Brad Tavares (186) vs. Aaron Simpson (185)
Brian Bowles (135) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (136)
Anthony Njokuani (156) vs. Andre Winner (155)
Jeff Hougland (135) vs. Donny Walker (135)

Fighter vs. Writer: UFC 132 Picks with Joseph Benavidez

Filed under: UFCNot only is Joseph Benavidez one of the wittiest fighters in the game, he also knows as much or more than anyone about the two main event participants at UFC 132.

Plus, he’s a Joe-Jitsu black belt tie-dye belt and a skilled (or so I h…

Filed under:

Joseph BenavidezNot only is Joseph Benavidez one of the wittiest fighters in the game, he also knows as much or more than anyone about the two main event participants at UFC 132.

Plus, he’s a Joe-Jitsu black belt tie-dye belt and a skilled (or so I hear) bowler, so why wouldn’t I want to sit down with him for this edition of Fighter vs. Writer?

Benavidez fought two memorable fights with Cruz, and has spent the last few years as one of Urijah Faber’s main training partners, so he has a perspective on this fight that few can match. It’s probably not hard to tell who he’s picking in Saturday night’s main event, but does he have what it takes to go pick-for-pick on the rest of the main card with yours truly? Find out below.

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber

Benavidez: Faber via submission. “He’s been my main training partner for four years, and I’ve just seen the way he works and the goals he sets for himself. For all these four years, I’ve never seen him more inspired and motivated for a fight. He’s a big part of the WEC going to the UFC, so this is huge for him. He’s a guy who rises to the occasion, and this is the biggest of occasions for him. Not only that, but he obviously has the skills. Dominick will be hard to hit, but he doesn’t do much damage, and Urijah has the grappling edge.”

Fowlkes: Cruz via decision. He’s just too fast and too hard to pin down. He may not have the power to knock Faber out, but I doubt Faber will be able to put his hands on Cruz very much at all, so I’m not sure how much it matters. Faber was a true champ in his time, but that time is over.




Chris Leben vs. Wanderlei Silva

Benavidez: Silva via TKO. “Before the Stann fight I didn’t think Leben could get knocked out, but he did, so I guess it could happen again if they’re going to sit there and slug. Wanderlei could definitely catch him with a punch. I think they are going to stand there and swing at each other, and Leben will go down. Plus, Wanderlei’s a legend, so I kind of root for him, even though I love watching Leben fight also.”

Fowlkes: Leben via TKO. Obviously Silva is a sentimental favorite, but I don’t think his chin is nearly as solid as it once was, and being out of action for 16 months won’t exactly make him sharper in the cage. Even if they throw down in the center of the cage, Leben can take it and dish it out better at this point.

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader

Benavidez: Ortiz via decision. “I think Tito is going to prove a lot of people wrong and come out with a comeback here — maybe not a total comeback — but I think he’ll go out there and get the win, old school ground-and-pound style. I actually think Tito’s boxing is a lot better too.”

Fowlkes: Bader via decision. I admire Benavidez’s optimism, but I’m not such a believer in Ortiz’s boxing, nor do I think he’s right about Bader having weak takedown defense. Bader is younger, quicker, and more explosive. I don’t see where Ortiz holds an advantage.

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Benavidez: Condit via TKO. “He’s always in a super exciting fight and puts just this horrendous pace on people. He really lives up to his name: ‘The Natural Born Killer.’ He goes in there and tries to kill you. He’s going to put a lot of pressure on Kim and get the victory by stoppage.”

Fowlkes:
Condit by TKO. Kim absolutely has the power to turn this into a grappling match, and if he does, he can absolutely win it there. But I don’t see Condit going out like that. He’ll come back late in the fight and overwhelm Kim with sheer aggression.

Matt Wiman vs. Dennis Siver

Benavidez:
Wiman via decision. “That’s a tough one. Wiman has really good wrestling and has been putting it on people lately, but so has Siver. With Wiman though, I think he’s really hitting his stride right now, and this is going to be one that really catapults him to that next level where he wants to be at in the division.”

Fowlkes: Siver via decision. I simply cannot pick against the underrated Siver, who consistently surprises people and then melts back into the background to be forgotten and then underrated once again. His takedown defense will keep this one standing, and his power will keep Wiman reeling.

Tiebreaker: time of shortest fight

Benavidez: 2:35 of round 1.
Fowlkes: 1:57 of round 1

Benavidez picks
Faber, Silva, Ortiz, Condit, Wiman
Fowlkes picks Cruz, Leben, Bader, Condit, Siver

 

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Reminder: Watch the UFC 132 Weigh-Ins Live Right Here at 7:00 pm ET


(That week off made Dana look 10 years younger. PicProps: MMAMania)

Just a friendly reminder that you can check out the UFC 132 weigh-ins right here starting at 7:00 pm ET.

This could be the last time we see “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” flexing in his underwear — unless of course you’re one of his Twitter followers (am I right, ReX?). Let’s place our wagers now who will get into a heated nose-bumping match and who won’t make weight.

Expect the staredown of the decade between Leben and Silva.

Check out the stream after the jump.


(That week off made Dana look 10 years younger. PicProps: MMAMania)

Just a friendly reminder that you can check out the UFC 132 weigh-ins right here starting at 7:00 pm ET.

This could be the last time we see “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” flexing in his underwear — unless of course you’re one of his Twitter followers (am I right, ReX?). Let’s place our wagers now who will get into a heated nose-bumping match and who won’t make weight.

Expect the staredown of the decade between Leben and Silva.

Check out the stream below.

UFC 132: By the Odds

LAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet …

Dominick Cruz Urijah FaberLAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet the MGM was offering on UFC 132.

If you think the Cruz-Faber main event won’t go the distance, it turns out that you can profit to the tune of $180 for every $100 wagered (that’s what +180 means, smart guy). If you think it will go the distance, you have to put down $220 to make $100 (also known as -220). I’m not ashamed to admit that I must have spent fifteen minutes looking at those odds and trying to talk myself into believing that this fight won’t go the full five, even though I know it probably will.

See, that’s how Vegas gets you. You know there’s a reason for the long odds on some options, but you want to believe. You want to believe in longshots and Tito Ortiz comebacks. In free Cirque du Soleil tickets and especially lucky slot machines. And yet, they didn’t build these monstrous casinos because so many people win. In the end, that free domestic is probably the best deal you’re going to find.

But enough deep thinking. Let’s take a look at how some of Vegas’ sharpest minds see the action going down at UFC 132.

Dominick Cruz (-130) vs. Urijah Faber (+110)

Here’s a fight that’s all about speed. Cruz has it in spades, and Faber seems to be losing just a little more of it with each passing year. That’s not to say he’s some slow, broke-down old man, of course. Faber is still one heck of an athlete and an incredibly versatile fighter. But his biggest asset against a hummingbird like Cruz is going to be his mind. Not only is he a veteran who can adapt as the fight goes on, he’s also just so mentally strong that you know you’re not going to break him. Cruz has to stay busy and pepper him with those unpredictable combos of his, whereas Faber needs to get in close and slow this fight down in the clinch and on the mat. The fact that oddsmakers favor Cruz — but just slightly — tells you what they think of cage savvy against indefatigable quickness.
My pick: Cruz. I’ll save it for the parlay, but I think he’ll put Faber on the defensive with his speed and keep him there for five rounds.



Chris Leben (+150) vs. Wanderlei Silva (-170)

The first time I saw this line, I felt sure there had to be some mistake. Did some vandal come along and swap the plus and the minus? Were the bookmakers aware that it is in fact Silva who has been out for the last year and a half, and not Leben? I just don’t get it. I suppose if they square up and throw bombs, you could argue that it’s anybody’s fight. But even then, Silva doesn’t have the chin he once did. And even though Leben got KO’d by Stann, it still took some doing. The way to beat Leben is with straight, crisp punching and enough foot speed to stay away from his left. Silva isn’t known for any of that, especially in recent years. I can see why fans still go for him as a nostalgia pick, but the Pride days are over and time has marched grimly on.
My pick: Leben. I’m not the type of guy to advise you to bet the house, take out a second mortgage, and then bet that too — but if I were that type of guy…

Carlos Condit (even) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (-120)

This is probably the most competitive and most overlooked fight on the card. Kim is a big welterweight who can absolutely smother you on the mat, but Condit just has that raw, tear-your-head-off aggression. The problem is, you come charging in with blind hooks against Kim and you’re going to get taken down. I expect Kim to control the first part of the bout with his patient, methodical grappling, but Condit is never all the way out of the fight until the final bell. His best chance to catch Kim is when the takedown attempts have slowed and he’s entered full-scale desperation mode. Then, his finishing power could make all the difference. If it goes to the judges though, it’s Kim’s night.
My pick: Condit, but this one’s too close. It’s a great way to toss your money out the window, and it has the potential to screw up an otherwise perfect parlay. I’m leaving it alone.

Tito Ortiz (+350) vs. Ryan Bader (-450)

Okay, so you’ve been a huge Tito fan since 1999, and you’d like nothing more than to cash in on your Huntington Beach hero now that everyone else is writing him off. I get that — really, I do. But let me ask you this: how, exactly, do you see Ortiz winning this fight? He’s not going to stand there and outstrike the heavy-handed Bader because, well, when’s the last time he did that to anyone decent? And he’s probably not going to take the guy down and keep him on his back for three rounds because a) Bader knows a thing or two about wrestling, and b) Ortiz is not Jon Jones. So then what? It’s not as if an Ortiz victory is out of the question, but he has so few realistic ways to win. Sorry, but it isn’t 1999 anymore, and Bader isn’t Jerry Bohlander.
My pick: Bader. You won’t make any money off him, but at least you won’t lose it by taking a big risk on Ortiz.

Matt Wiman (+115) vs. Dennis Siver (-135)

Style-wise, you’d think Wiman might have the edge on Siver. But there’s just something about that stocky, scrappy German that makes it impossible to really count him out. Few people gave him much of a chance against Sotiropoulos, but look how that turned out. His takedown defense is solid and he can always hurt you on the feet. If you’re unfortunate enough to be on the business end of one of those spinning backkicks, you probably won’t breathe right for a week.
My pick: Siver. I’ll put it in the parlay, but I can’t go against Siver in any reasonable match-up.

Quick picks:

Anthony Njokuani (-150) over Andre Winner (+120). The man with the last name that everyone pronounces differently is too fast and too dynamic on the feet for Winner to handle.

Melvin Guillard (-280) over Shane Roller (+220).
You won’t profit much off this one, but Guillard — at least when he has his act together, as I believe he does now — is a handful for anyone.

The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay:
Cruz + Leben + Bader + Njokuani + Guillard.

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