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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to UFC president Dana White about Saturday night’s UFC 132 event, building Urijah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz, whether Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz are facing do-or-die situations on Saturday night, his take on the Nate Marquardt and Spike TV’s recent programming decisions when it comes to UFC.
Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, Videos
LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to UFC president Dana White about Saturday night’s UFC 132 event, building Urijah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz, whether Wanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz are facing do-or-die situations on Saturday night, his take on the Nate Marquardt and Spike TV’s recent programming decisions when it comes to UFC.
In Saturday night’s main event, two great fighters with wildly contrasting styles will clash in the Octagon. Dominic Cruz, the UFC bantamweight champion, will look to use his fluid, methodical, near flawless technique to frustrate the only m…
In Saturday night’s main event, two great fighters with wildly contrasting styles will clash in the Octagon.
Dominic Cruz, the UFC bantamweight champion, will look to use his fluid, methodical, near flawless technique to frustrate the only man ever to beat him in MMA.
In the other corner, Urijah Faber will try to employ a quick, jittery and explosive game to unseat Cruz from atop the mountain. In short, method meets madness.
Cruz’s ability to stick to a game plan in the cage, moving his feet and effectively using combos, is among the best you can see in MMA. In his last title defense, he spent five rounds stymieing a dangerous Scott Jorgensen with some of the more impressive footwork and combinations I’ve seen executed in MMA.
If Cruz can continue to bob and weave his way in and out of Faber’s reach and grasp, it could make for a long night for The California Kid, who is well aware that he’s fighting a significantly more improved Cruz this time around. Being the intelligent fighter Faber is, however, he’s likely to try and use Cruz’s own strengths against him.
Faber possesses a combination of speed and power most lighterweight fighter do not. It’s that rare combination that allowed him to reign over the WEC’s featherweight division for so long, and develop a reputation as a lethal finisher by any means necessary.
Faber’s charge in this fight will be to bait Cruz into a false sense of security believing he can execute his normal game plan circling in and out of Faber’s reach, and then use his speed and power to strike at a moment when Cruz is circling back in for a combo.
This strategy could work perfectly for Faber for a number of reasons. First, Faber loves the overhand right. If he times it well, as he is wont to do, he can land it square on Cruz’s chin during that circle back in. Good night, fight over.
Second, any opponent facing Faber will surely look to Faber’s recent losses to Mike Brown and Jose Aldo for guidance. It’s no secret that Aldo used a barrage of leg kicks to turn Faber’s left leg into tenderized sirloin, and if Faber ever had a weakness exposed in a fight, that was the moment.
With the clear-cut reach advantage Cruz has on Faber, and his ability to utilize leg kicks effectively in most of his fights, he’s certain to think the opportunity is there for him to do to Faber’s leg what Aldo did.
]Again, this is another example of how Faber can use Cruz’s own strength against him. If Faber times it right, he’ll have a great chance to score a takedown, or even land that same overhand right I highlighted earlier. Either way, Faber should be ready to jump at the opportunity he’ll undoubtedly be presented with when Cruz moves in to attack.
Every opportunity Faber will have to score a takedown or knockout will come at a moment when he is exposed. He has to bait Cruz in order to be effective in this fight, because Cruz has become too good of a fighter to allow Faber to simply hunt him down and strike at will.
If Faber does get down Cruz’s timing, then we could see a highlight reel finish somewhere in the middle rounds, because bating Cruz will only work if, as I said before, he’s lulled into a false sense of security and believes he can move in and out at will without fear of reprisal from Faber. It may take a round or two to get to that point.
It’s often stated that styles make fights. In this upcoming war between method and madness, madness can be victorious with a little method sprinkled in.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
(Tito is not impressed about being at the back of the line)
Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming the the UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II pre-fight press conference starting at 4:00 pm ET.
Will there be any face-to-face drama between Faber and Cruz?
Will anyone recognize Wanderlei Silva?
Will Tito Ortiz put together more than two coherent sentences?
All of these questions and more will be answered after the jump.
(Tito is not impressed about being at the back of the line)
Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming the the UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II pre-fight press conference starting at 4:00 pm ET.
Will there be any face-to-face drama between Faber and Cruz?
Will anyone recognize Wanderlei Silva?
Will Tito Ortiz put together more than two coherent sentences?
All of these questions and more will be answered below.
(Tito is not impressed about being at the back of the line)
Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming the the UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II pre-fight press conference starting at 4:00 pm ET.
Will there be any face-to-face drama between Faber and Cruz?
Will anyone recognize Wanderlei Silva?
Will Tito Ortiz put together more than two coherent sentences?
All of these questions and more will be answered after the jump.
(Tito is not impressed about being at the back of the line)
Just a friendly reminder that we will be streaming the the UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber II pre-fight press conference starting at 4:00 pm ET.
Will there be any face-to-face drama between Faber and Cruz?
Will anyone recognize Wanderlei Silva?
Will Tito Ortiz put together more than two coherent sentences?
All of these questions and more will be answered below.
Wanderlei Silva is the definition of a legend. From the moment Sandstorm hits, through the loosened wrists and stare from hell, right on into an unleashed fury the likes of which few can match in a ring or cage, Silva will be remembered as the embodime…
Wanderlei Silva is the definition of a legend. From the moment Sandstorm hits, through the loosened wrists and stare from hell, right on into an unleashed fury the likes of which few can match in a ring or cage, Silva will be remembered as the embodiment of all that’s right in competition.
He’s also perhaps the nicest lunatic the world has ever seen, referring to his fans as his “friends” and constantly wearing a smile after years of soccer kicking overmatched opposition senseless.
However, after a lifetime of putting on wars to bring fans out of their seats instead of looking to win on points, many fear that Silva’s best days are behind him. And those who don’t fear the possibility are the ones who salivate at using him as a big-name notch in their belts.
Yoshihiro Akiyama called him out.
Brian Stann gave it a shot.
Michael Bisping wants some more one day.
Chael Sonnen won’t let their war of words die.
Chris Leben called him out, and got him.
Basically anyone who thinks Wandy is chinny and on the downside of his career wants to get in there and tee off in hopes of being able to claim one day that they beat the legend. Bank on it that if this was 2006, none of these men would be so eager to get in there with him.
But that’s not the point.
The point is that the 2011 Axe Murderer has a target on his back, and he still has the spirit that made him great. He has no fear of any of these men, or anyone else, and he could care less which ones he gets or what order he gets them in. He just wants to fight all of them.
Unfortunately, in order to run down that list, Silva needs to focus more on a gameplan and controlled aggression—as he did successfully against Bisping—than on being the man who tore up Pride with flailing limbs and explosive Muay Thai.
Should he ever get Akiyama, it’s a winnable fight, but not by knockout. He needs to fight smart and play the game a little bit, because Akiyama is as durable as anyone and can make you pay for being reckless.
Stann has likely moved out of Silva’s current range after beating Leben, and could be looking at a top ten guy in his next outing. A decisive win over The Crippler might get Wandy that fight, but again, if he doesn’t control his aggression Stann will hurt him. That’s why he called for him in the first place.
The Bisping/Silva feud is done, get over it Mike. It wasn’t that close, and you ended the fight almost unconscious. That’s not rematch material.
Sonnen is a terrible matchup for Silva, someone who can talk enough to get under his skin a little, and an accomplished wrestler with limitless cardio. That fight ends up with Sonnen in Wandy’s guard, Wandy eating elbows and punches tirelessly for 15 minutes, and Sonnen proving he can at least beat someone named Silva.
This weekend against Leben, recklessness will lead to Wandy looking up at the lights. He can’t take shots like he used to, and Leben has dynamite in his hands. Pedal-to-the-metal forward pressure won’t scare Leben, who can take a punch as well as any middleweight in the world, and the risk of a counter left hand can’t be ignored. Fight smart or suffer a debilitating loss as far as upward mobility in the division is concerned.
In the twilight of his career, Wanderlei Silva needs to realize that he’s done enough for his “friends” that they don’t need—or want—to see him going out on his shield every time he fights. Most would prefer he fight slightly more conservatively, control his aggression, be a little evasive, and explode when necessary. There isn’t any need to throw caution to the wind against middle-of-the-road middleweights if getting back into contention is the goal, because he’s earned the right to put winning ahead of entertaining.
Saturday night will be the first test of whether or not Silva has realized that fully. He did a solid job against Bisping, but the margin for error is smaller against the violent Leben. But either way, he’ll leave it all in the cage as he has his entire career, and no one can ask any less of a mixed martial artist.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
UFC 132 will take place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight card will close out a run of six straight weekends of UFC/Strikeforce fight cards. The main event on the card will feature the UFC’s first bantamweight t…
UFC 132 will take place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The fight card will close out a run of six straight weekends of UFC/Strikeforce fight cards.
The main event on the card will feature the UFC’s first bantamweight title bout as champion Dominick Cruz defends his title against the only fighter to ever defeat him, Urijah Faber.
Also appearing on the card will be Tito Ortiz, who will be fighting for his UFC career when he meets the heavily favored Ryan Bader.
Wanderlei Silva makes his return to the Octagon at UFC 132. Silva has not fought since February 2011. He will meet Chris Leben on the main card of the event.
Bleacher Report’s Adam Wells had the following to say about Silva’s fight against Leben:
Silva’s heart doesn’t really seem to be in the sport anymore. He is 34 years old and seems to only want to take fights that he knows he will win. He doesn’t want to challenge himself as a fighter anymore for whatever reason.
In fact, he talked his way out of fighting Brian Stann at UFC 130 because his ego is so fragile that he assumed Stann, a former U.S. Marine, would be the fan favorite on Memorial Day weekend.
The end is coming for Silva very, very soon. With a loss at UFC 132, it will arrive sooner than he may want it to.