Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine once crooned, “Hindsight is always 20/20, but looking back it’s still a bit fuzzy.” This phrase sums up my thoughts on UFC 132.
More UFC 132: UFC 132 review: it’s a knockout!
In my previous article, I confidently predicted the outcomes of three of the main card fights. Humble pie never tastes sweet, but I’ll openly admit that I was wrong on all counts.
That’s 0-3, for those of you scoring at home. Still, the Las Vegas card proved to be an enjoyable one.
The night’s main event showed Dominick Cruz defending his bantamweight belt against Urijah Faber.
Cruz proved to be the better man the second time around, beating Faber via unanimous decision.
Cruz’ unorthodox footwork and striking proved confounding to the fundamentally-sound Faber, as the former used lateral movement and odd angles to confuse the challenger.
Cruz also scored with some surprising takedowns against the former wrestler.
Faber had his moments, particularly the times when he staggered Cruz with his potent right, but it wasn’t enough to steal the judges’ favour.
What’s next for Cruz: Sitting pretty as the defending champion, though a fan-pleasing rubber match is in order.
What’s next for Faber: Perhaps a tune-up fight, but with the feud at 1-1 he’ll more than likely want the third match with Cruz.
The co-main event featured heartache for fans of old (this writer included).
In only his second middleweight fight, PRIDE legend Wanderlei Silva fell victim to a knockout at the hands of Chris Leben. It only took 27 seconds for the ‘The Crippler’ to lay out his hero on the canvas.
The always-aggressive Silva started strong, backing up Leben near the cage with a strong right hand.
However, a sharp left hook and a barrage of right uppercuts soon felled ‘The Axe Murderer’. The follow-up lefts on the ground were a mere formality, as Silva was left unconscious in the floor.
What’s next for Leben: A rematch with Brian Stann or the up-and-coming Mark Munoz would further his middleweight ascent.
What’s next for Silva: Retirement, hopefully. This legend has no business being a stepping stone for anyone after wars with Sakuraba, Jackson, Cro Cop, Henderson etc.
Fortunately, the card wasn’t entirely a disappointment for nostalgic fans.
Former UFC poster boy Tito Ortiz scored his first victory since 2006, submitting Ryan Bader in the first round. ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ buckled the TUF 8 winner with a short right hand, before securing the arm-in guillotine choke.
Bader surrendered at just 1 min 27 seconds into the round. This fight was also Ortiz’s first submission victory since 2000.
What’s next for Ortiz: With new life injected into his flagging career, it’s make-or-break time for the former champion. A rematch with either Lyoto Machida or Matt Hamill is likely.
What’s next for Bader: It’s clear that Bader’s improvement has stalled. A change and/or addition in training camp would be best before his next fight.
The card proved to be a downer for Aussie fans. George Sotiropolous was knocked out by Rafael Dos Anjos in the preliminary card.
The Geelong-native was caught by a right hook which left him flat on the floor, before the referee intervened to prevent further damage.
This is the second consecutive loss for the lightweight Sotiropolous; his previous defeat was at UFC 127 in Sydney earlier this year.
Other action on the main card: Dennis Siver earned a controversial unanimous decision over Matt Wiman in a lightweight affair, and welterweight Carlos Condit scored a spectacular knockout over Dong Hyun Kim.
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