Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber Prove Little Guys Are Worthy of Big Hype

Filed under:

LAS VEGAS -- On paper, the rationale behind the UFC 132 lineup seemed simple enough: get them to come for stars like Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva, and they'll stay for Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

No matter what you think of that hypothesis in theory, after the show that Cruz and Faber put on in Saturday night's main event title bout, you have to admit that it worked perfectly in execution.

Perhaps Cruz, who retained his UFC bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Faber after five close rounds, put it best: "We all train hard. We all work hard. Just because we're little guys doesn't mean we can't scrap."

The difference is that, after UFC 132, everyone knows it. And it's about time.

Years from now we'll probably look back on the slow, arduous rise of MMA's little guys from the cable TV hinterlands of the WEC on Versus to the main event of UFC pay-per-views and wonder why it took so long for some of the sport's most consistently exciting fighters to get the recognition they deserve.

Think about how long they fought for a fraction of what bigger fighters were getting. Better yet, think about how seldom they gassed out, or showed up to a fight unprepared, or just failed to put on a memorable performance.

But, the conventional wisdom told us, people don't want to see midgets in board shorts. They want the big guys. They want heavyweights swinging haymakers at one another's chins until someone falls down or just huffs and puffs to a full stop on his own volition. Who cares about 135-pound dynamos who are as exciting in the 25th minute as they are in the first?

Judging by the sound of Saturday night's crowd during the final seconds of Cruz-Faber, however, the conventional wisdom once again turns out to be woefully wrong.

As UFC president Dana White put it, "No matter how big the star power is on the undercard, these guys are fighting for the title. They deserve the respect to be number one, and tonight they went out and earned it. They've done it a million times before, but tonight everybody really saw it. Tonight, here in Las Vegas, tons of stars, a big 4th of July fight, and they went out and showed the world what we already knew."

Of course, here's where the cynic might wonder why, if White knew it would turn out like this all along, he kept the little fellas underpaid and under-appreciated in the WEC for so long, but that's water under the cheaply constructed bridge now. The point is, they're here now, and we should all be grateful for it.

For 25 minutes on Saturday night, Cruz and Faber gave us everything we've come to expect from the lighter weight classes. The only thing more impressive than the technique on display was the pace. Those two fought like a couple of chihuahuas battling over the last piece of bacon, and by the end even the spectators were breathing hard.

At the post-fight press conference, Cruz summed it up best: "It feels like I was in a tornado and I was running into stuff -- dressers and what not, I don't know."

But besides just the physical, these two also delivered the pre-fight hype. They spent weeks taking verbal potshots at each other, and fight week was one quotable quip after another between the two familiar rivals.

Even when it was all over and Faber gave Cruz his due as a worthy champion, he couldn't quite bring himself to doff his cap completely. When asked if the rivalry was now over and he was ready to acknowledge Cruz as the alpha dog in the neighborhood, Faber paused.

"I have to watch the fight again," he said.

After the performance those two delivered, he may not be the only one.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/03/dominick-cruz-and-urijah-faber-prove-little-guys-are-worthy-of-b/

Brock Lesnar Frank Shamrock Tito Ortiz Randy Couture

Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers arrested, charged with felony domestic assault and released by Strikeforce (UPDATED)

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Brett_Rogers_mug_shot.JPG

Strikeforce heavyweight Brett Rogers was arrested on Wednesday morning and charged with multiple counts of felony assault for assaulting his wife at their home south of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, according to a report from MyFoxTwinCities.com.

Per a criminal complaint, Rogers' wife was allegedly strangled, beaten with blows to the head and face where a golf-ball sized wound on her face developed and that she lost a tooth during the altercation.

Rogers has been charged with three separate felonies: third degree assault, domestic assault by strangulation and a pattern of stalking conduct. In addition to the felony claims, he's been charged with a gross misdemeanor for child endangerment, as the couple's two children were present during the incident.

His wife did not want to press assault charges, according to the criminal complaint, stating that she didn't want him to lose his job.

Rogers' bail was set at $100,000 with conditions, and he has another court appearance on Friday morning.

It caps off a bad month for Rogers, who was choked out by Josh Barnett on June 18 in the quarterfinals of Strikeforce's Heavyweight World Grand Prix. The loss was his third consecutive defeat inside the Strikeforce cage.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: This is reprehensible behavior. The criminal complaint states that one of Rogers' daughters claimed that she had witnessed him assaulting his wife in the past, and that he had hit his two daughters in the past as well. With his wife not wanting to press charges and initially lying to police about how she sustained her injuries, it suggests a long history of abuse and it's an absolutely awful situation for that family to be in. Rogers deserves jail time and any other punishment coming his way for this incident. It's disgusting and inexcusable.

UPDATE: MMAJunkie.com reports that Strikeforce has released Rogers from his contract following this incident. Per the report, the release was confirmed by UFC President Dana White.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/Affliction2/article_9793.shtml

Eddie Alvarez Thiago Alves  Andre Amade  Dean Amasinger 

UFC 132's Carlos Condit to ask for title shot if he finishes Dong Hyun Kim

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Carlos_Condit.jpeg

Carlos Condit returns to the cage on Saturday night for the first time since knocking out Dan Hardy last October. The 27-year-old former WEC Welterweight Champion has gone 3-1 in the UFC since debuting in 2009, with his sole loss coming by split decision to Martin Kampmann in his Octagon debut.

That loss to Kampmann is the only one he's had in 12 fights over the last five years, and "The Natural Born Killer" is hoping to make his move to a title shot in the UFC with a win over Dong Hyun Kim in Las Vegas at UFC 132.

In an interview with MMAJunkie.com, Condit revealed that he would be requesting a title shot should he finish his undefeated opponent on the card.

"If I finish Kim, yes [I will ask for a title shot from the UFC]," Condit said.

Odds for the fight have both fighters at near even coming into the event, but whether he's the favorite or the underdog, Condit believes he's got the skills to handle Kim in this bout.

"I like being the underdog," Condit said. "But either way, I just keep my mind focused and go in there and do what I'm going to do. My career has been proving doubters wrong."

"I think being on top or being on my feet would definitely be an advantage, but I'm dangerous from my back, and I feel comfortable, as well. He's a great grappler. But I feel like I have the well-rounded skill set to be able to deal with his pressure."

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: If Condit can be the first fighter to not only defeat Kim but finish him, he'll have made a very compelling case for being a contender in the division. He still will likely need at least one more win before the UFC would put him in that slot, but he's as deserving as any fighter that hasn't had a shot at GSP. I'd say we're likely to see B.J. Penn vs. Jon Fitch rematch in November, and the winner of that fight is probably going to be ahead of Condit in the pecking order, but if the UFC doesn't want to give either of them the shot yet, I wouldn't be surprised to see them put Condit in there. That said, I think Condit will need to beat Kim and defeat another high level opponent before it's his turn.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_9791.shtml

Sean Gannon Edgar Garcia Leonard Garcia Andrew Gardner

UFC 132: Payout Perspective

Welcome to another edition of Payout Perspective. This time we look at UFC 132 from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The featured bout was Dominick Cruz defending his Bantamweight title againt Urijah Faber. Cruz defeats Faber in entertaining matchup Welcome to the UFC Dominick Cruz. A back and forth bout saw Cruz take control [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Payout/~3/2FnxeqgbDtg/

Harold Howard Tom Howard Roger Huerta Matt Hughes

UFC 132: Chris Leben Knocks Out Wanderlei Silva in 27 Seconds

Filed under: ,

Chris Leben Knocks Out Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132.One of the great knockouts in mixed martial arts may now have been knocked out too many times himself, as Wanderle Silva was knocked out cold by Chris Leben on Saturday night at UFC 132.

Silva, known as the Axe Murderer, is one of the all-time stars of MMA, but it was ugly to see how quickly Leben knocked him out with a series of uppercuts and additional punches on the ground on Saturday night. The whole fight lasted just 27 seconds. Silva has taken so many shots in his long MMA career that he might not be able to go on much longer.

"I can't believe it's real," Leben said of his victory. "Holy s**t."





The win improves Leben's record to 26-7, and it's probably the biggest win of his career, given the legendary status of Silva. Leben made a nod to Silva's status as an all-time great in his post-fight comments.

"Wanderlei, I love you," Leben said. "You're my hero."

Silva is the hero of many MMA fans, but with the loss his record falls to 33-11-1, including 2-6 in his last eight fights. It might be time for him to call it quits.

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=1003870&pid=1003869&uts=1309672434

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

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/07/02/ufc-132-chris-leben-knocks-out-wanderlei-silva-in-27-seconds/

Joe Riggs Pedro Rizzo Colin Robinson Ricco Rodriguez

"UFC On Versus 4" Prelims Predictions

When the UFC broadcasts its ?UFC on Versus 4? event live on the Versus network, it will have been after an amazing seven-fight lead-in courtesy of the UFC?s ongoing relationship with Facebook. At one time, the UFC was set to offer eight free preliminary fights on their Facebook page, although one was recently cancelled due [...]

Source: http://www.fighters.com/06/23/ufc-on-versus-4-prelims-predictions

Kimo Leopoldo Brock Lesnar John Lewis Jérôme Le Banner

Brock Lesnar in talks about WWE non televised role