UFC aims to please once more, bringing fight fans a stacked card this Sunday with UFC 132. The event, which will be held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, showcases a bout for the UFC Bantamweight title between Dominick Cruz and challenger Urijah Faber.
The co-main event features PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva taking on hard-headed brawler Chris Leben in an advertised fight-of-the-year candidate.
The card will also have former light heavyweight champ Tito Ortiz going into battle against Ryan ‘Darth’ Bader.
Cruz vs. Faber
These former-featherweight fighters fought once before in 2007, with then-WEC poster boy Urijah Faber getting the better of Cruz via first round submission, handing the latter his only loss to date.
A heated feud has since erupted, and both men are looking establish themselves amongst the UFC’s big names.
Analysis: Cruz attributed his earlier loss to Faber on a tactical error, and claims to have improved immensely since then. Despite this, he still has a tendency to be a little wild in his stand-up.
Faber’s losses have proved that he’s vulnerable to stronger wrestlers (Mike Brown) and vastly superior strikers (Jose Aldo).
Cruz is neither, and Faber’s weight advantage will have a telling effect on the bout.
Prediction: Faber by 3rd round TKO
Silva vs. Leben
When Wanderlei Silva was tearing through the PRIDE roster and cementing his legacy back in 2005, Chris Leben was talking trash and punching doors on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.
A lot has happened in both men’s careers since then, yet they still share some things in common; neither has ever found himself in a boring fight, nor are they any less primitive in their approaches to fighting.
Nothing short of a hell-for-leather slugfest is expected from this one.
Analysis: The man that will step into the Octagon against Leben is far removed from the Silva of old; he’s slower, easier to hit and a little less resilient than before.
But as evidenced by his last two bouts, there’s still plenty of fight left in the 34 year old ‘Axe Murderer’.
Leben’s skill set has improved dramatically in recent years since moving to Hawaii, adding some potent submissions and polishing up his striking.
Nevertheless, he still reverts to homerun swinging as a fight wears on, which will prove hazardous against the Chute Boxe alumni.
Prediction: Wanderlei Silva by 2nd round KO
Ortiz vs. Bader
Once the flagship name of the UFC, Tito Ortiz has not won a fight in almost five years.
His best effort since beating Ken Shamrock in 2006 was a controversial draw against Rashad Evans in 2007.
Ryan Bader wil look at this match as a chance to redeem himself after a one-sided loss to champ Jon Jones in February.
Analysis: After 14 years and 24 fights as a pro, Ortiz’s ground-and-pound strategy has essentially remained the same. A laundry list of injuries has done little to help matters.
Though he’s worked on his striking with the likes of Freddie Roach, the ‘Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ has remained stagnant in an ever-evolving sport.
Younger, more athletic and well-rounded wrestlers have since improved on the blueprint he once wrote.
Bader is one such example; the former two-time All American wrestler can do everything that Ortiz can, but just a little bit better.
Prediction: Bader by unanimous decision
Other action on the main card: Welterweights Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim and lightweights Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman.
George Sotiropoulos’ UFC 132 fight will be on Channel ONE from 10am Sunday as part of their Preliminary fight coverage – with the Main Event from 11am (on PPV Main Event)
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