UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber

Having been a long time fan of the UFC I have to admit that I've been spoiled having been witness to the years of 2006-2009 where epic was pretty much a bimonthly way to describe each event. That's probably why I feel that the last year, while filled with its fair share of awesome fights, hasn't put out an event that really "wowed" me since UFC 116 and UFC 117. That's why this event was such a warm welcome, containing both great prelims and an one of the best main cards I've witnessed in a long time. While UFC 129 had the names to really shine this year this particular pay-per-view delivered on its fights and while containing enough star power to attract the masses. In my opinion this is hands down card of the year.

The first fight on the main card on paper was a strong contender for fight of the night when I first heard the announcement. If you've followed Carlos Condit since his ride in WEC you know that he can put on one hell of a fight given the right opponent and his last few in the UFC have been some of my favorite. Dong Hyun Kim was making a strong case for #1 contender being undefeated and on a 3 fight win streak. The first round finish was absolutely spectacular and the winner of this fight went on to make a strong case for the championship.

Next up was Tito Ortiz taking on Ryan Bader. To quote Joe Rogan, love him or hate him Tito Ortiz puts butts in seats, maybe more so in this fight than any other recently. He's lost his last three fights and Dana White had even publicly announced that if Ortiz lost this would be his last fight in the UFC so as you can imagine Ortiz had a lot riding on this fight. Also going up against Bader, who had been on a tear since taking the Ultimate Fighter contract on season eight before fighting Jon Jones, was no easy fight. Given the circumstances I have to admit I was skeptical on just how this would play out and what went down had my mouth drop. It's a fight you need to see to believe.

Dennis Siver against Matt Wiman was probably the only fight on the main card that didn't blow me away. It's a three round decision that a lot of people may not agree with and it's a fight I'm interested in watching again if only to see that my own opinion will change.

In the co-main event Chris Leben took on his hero, Wanderlei Silva. Having heard the announcement for this fight months ago I can't tell you how excited I was. Two men who absolutely love to brawl and give the fans a show would go toe-to-toe until one was knocked out. And that is exactly what we got, with a stunning quick KO that signified one fighter's legitimate status among the elite at 185. Sadly this fight had its fair share of being a double-edged sword and if you've seen it live you'll know what I mean, having been a huge fan of the fighter that lost.

It was an interesting little secret among the hardcore fans that the lower weight divisions underneath 155 had some of the most spectacular fights you'll ever see. So when I heard that UFC was absorbing the 135 and 145 weight divisions of the WEC I was really excited. The 145 belt was contested at UFC 129 and now it was time to see 135 belt defended. Dominick Cruz has proved to be an interesting puzzle for the bantamweight division utilizing odd movement and combinations that have thrown off a lot of fighters. In the challenger, Urijah Faber, we had a fighter with a knack for the unique crazy stunts and it showed on paper to be one of the most promising fights in in this division's history. Also, a little bit of a rivalry between these from their previous fight didn't hurt things either. The fight itself reminded me a lot of the first Machida/Shogun fight and the Edgar/Maynard fight from New Years in that what happened was an extremely close fight. Many said the winner dominated the fight but I didn't see that, I saw two fighters going all out for five rounds and in the end I think the right person won. Definitely a classic to be watched again.

Overall, I definitely recommend buying this event on DVD. I haven't bought many of the past events on DVD, waiting until next year when the "Best Of 2011" comes out but this whole card had something for every fan of the UFC.

Hmm...what can an Amazon UFC reviewer say that probably hasn't already been said in a review for UFC 132? Yeah, I don't know either, but I'll give it a go.

The Main Event is a Bantamweight grudge match. This grudge match started in the WEC, and Dominick Cruz, with a chip on his shoulder, lost for the first time in his MMA career to Urijah "The California Kid" Faber, and he lost rather quickly. I don't suppose Cruz is half the name as Faber is, yet his record speaks for itself. Urijah Faber is simply a legend in MMA. If you've gotten certain King of the Cage DVD box sets, Urijah Faber just might be on a card or two. He's lots of fun to watch, he talks his share of trash, and he hopes to do the same thing he did to Dominick Cruz the first time he fought him, and take that Bantamweight belt home with him! Is that going to happen? A UFC Bantamweight Championship is on the line at UFC 132, and it is the Main Event.

Simply put, Chris Leben loves Wanderlei Silva, and he's been dying to fight him. He finally gets his wish. So, in getting what he asked for, will it go his way, or will "The Axe Murderer" brutalize another foe in "The Crippler," and do some crippling of his own? That would make this the Co-Main Event.

And, oh yeah, wow, Tito Ortiz could possibly be facing his final fight in the UFC if he doesn't get the W this time. Who better to face than a man coming off his first loss in TUF 8 Light Heavyweight Winner, Ryan Bader!

Yep, that's the preview, and there are 11 fights that are worth watching! I'll list 'em below.

Donny Walker vs. Jeff Houghland: I'd never heard of Houghland before this fight. I've seen Walker fight a time or two, and he brings it. This is a good scrap that goes to a unanimous decision.

Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner: In short, both of these guys can bring it if you ask them to. One of them REALLY brings it, picking the other man apart on the feet, and winning a very entertaining unanimous decision!

Brad Tavares vs. Aaron Simpson: Neither of these guys believe in backing down, and 2nd best is never good enough for either man. Good fight, and a unanimous decision.

Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki: Great scrap, another decision, and well worth watching!

George Sotiropoulos vs. Raphael dos Anjos: Ok, I will say that this was completely unexpected. Just when you figured this would hit the ground about a minute into this, BAM!!! One huge haymaker puts that theory to rest in under a minute with a beautiful KO that I never saw coming!

Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller: Ok, when Shane Roller actually said that he'd stand with Melvin, I thought that was dumb enough to begin with. And then he actually did it. And, as if you would've never figured it out eventually? Yeah, Melvin knocks him out in the 1st round, just like Roller deserved for being so stupid!

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim: There's not a lot that Condit hasn't seen. But there aren't a lot of people that can figure out how to UN-W Kim. Well, just wait until you see this 1st round TKO! WOW!!!

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader: Ok, let's just be honest. Did anybody see this coming? I didn't, you didn't, NOBODY saw what was coming, it was beautiful, and the submission of the night was well earned! 1st round, welcome back to action!

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman: All I'm going to say is if you didn't like what happened? I really don't care. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of who lost, so I was happy with the unanimous decision. HA!

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben: In under 30 seconds, somebody got knocked out. The winner simply stated, "His first mistake was hitting me!" Yep, and it didn't last long after that. Great KO!

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber: There's a lot to be said about this fight, and some say it was closer than it was made out to be. Well, the judges cards made that obvious at 50-45, 49-46, and 48-47. But it was also a unanimous decision. And it was FIGHT OF THE NIGHT. For good reason!

Now, if you can seriously read this review and NOT want to watch this for yourself? I don't know what else to tell you. If you want to watch some great fights? Quit reading this review, and watch 'em over and over again!!!

UFC 132

This event was a big one for many reasons and one of which was that my favorite fighter BJ Penn was going to fight on this card. He was set to have a rematch against Jon Fitch after their draw they had. But injuries left both of them unable to face off against each other here and they both had to pull out. Also a couple other fighters were pulled due to injuries and such, plus Jason Miller was returning to the UFC here before he was pulled to be on TUF. But here on this event my boy Tito Ortiz's job was on the line against up and comer Ryan Bader and one of my favorite fighters of all time "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva was returning after a long layoff.

DISC 1

1.CARLOS CONDIT VS DONG HYUM KIM-this was a battle of two welterweight contenders looking for a shot at the title. I knew going in that this was going to be a good one. Condit is one of the best out there and Kim is one of my favorites. This was very much a chess match on the feet as both guys respected the others skills. Kim gets a takedown early but Carlos sweeps him and ends up in the mount. Once back on the feet it takes a while but Condit lands a flying knee and some ground and pound to end the fight in the first. This flying knee knock out earned Carlos the knock out of the night bonus.

2.TITO ORTIZ VS RYAN BADER-next up was the do or die fight for Tito Ortiz. If he were to loose this fight he would be cut from the UFC. This like the last fight would never leave the first round. They start out testing each other with the stand up until Tito lands a big right hand. From there he slaps on a guillotine choke and gets a much needed win. Tito got the submission of the night award.

3.DENNIS SIVER VS MATT WIMAN-this next fight would pit two talented lightweights against each other. Siver is one of my favorite guys and has some heavy hands, and Wiman is a well rounded fighter. The first round is so back and forth it is truly hard to say who won the round. Both guys got some take downs and defended well and both landed some good blows. But I think Siver landed more shots and takes a close round. The second round is another great round but Wiman takes Siver down eventually and pounds on Siver. He even cuts him up with some elbows and takes the second round. The third round is a bit harder to call as both take some significant advantages here. Both came to fight and the third round proved that, Siver though takes the UD here.

4.WANDERLEI SILVA VS CHRIS LEBEN-now this was the fight right here every one was looking forward to. Silva is a living Legend and one of my all time favorite fighters, he always comes to fight and goes for the kill. Leben is a younger guy who came up trying to be like Silva so he was fighting his hero here. Both guys come forward all the time and win or lose based on that. Also Silva is my boy Greg's favorite fighter and he even looks like him. The fight lasts second because of who these two guys are. Wanderlei comes in swinging like the warrior he always is and cracks Leben. He even broke Leben's nose but Chris swings back and nails Silva. Silva is hurt but he pushes forward any way because he is a maniac. In doing so he gets hit with some uppercuts that end the fight. Leben gets the win and can't believe it, he even said after the fight that he thought he was going to lose. That is how both of these guys are, they both lose or win doing what both did here.

5.[BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE]DOMINICK CRUZ VS URIJAH FABER-this is the grudge match that had been years in the making as Cruz wanted revenge on the only guy to ever beat him. Faber was looking to get his first UFC title here so this was going to be a good one. The first round of this fight is very close and hard to score with both guys landing and moving very well. Faber drops Cruz for a second here so he may have edged the round but Cruz landed more some maybe he did. Then the second round is picture perfect as close with Faber dropping Cruz again but Cruz also gets a take down. The third round is just as close as the first two with Faber this time getting the take down but immediately gets swept and Cruz ends up on top. The fourth round is another super close round right here, so hard to call. The fifth round while close was a clear cut win for Cruz after he scored multiple take downs. The judges agreed as they gave the UD to the champ Cruz who avenged his only defeat. This fight ended up being the fight of the night winner.

DISC 2

1.DONNY WALKER VS JEFF HOUGLAND-GOOD GRAPPLING MATCH FOR THE FIRST ROUND HERE WITH Jeff getting the take down only to end up on bottom after a failed guillotine. Still he attacks from his back with submissions to finally get back on top. The second round was mostly a stand up battle with both guys pressing the action but at the end of the round Jeff sinks in another guillotine only for the round to end. The third round was excellent with both guys performing well. Each attacking with submissions and stuffing take downs, Jeff gets the UD here in a great fight.

2.ANTHONY NJOKUANI VS ANDRE WINNER-good stand up battle for the first round here until it nears the end of the round. Winner starts to take a beating towards the end giving the round to Anthony. Another big round followed in the second for Anthony as he dominated early. The third round was decent as both never really committed too much in this round. Njokuani takes the UD here.

3.BRAD TAVARES VS AARON SIMPSON-the first round here is a grappling match up against the cage. Simpson presses Brad against it and goes for the take down the whole round. Things heat up by the end of the round, still a good round for Aaron. The second round sees a little more action. Brad lands a clean jab that drops Aaron and even slams Simpson. Aaron still comes back strong making it a tough one to judge. The third round looks a lot like the first until the end of the round, strong showing for Simpson as the takes the UD.

4.BRIAN BOWLES VS TAKEYA MIZUGAKI-the first round is basically a feeling out round as both move in and out with the strikes. They clinch up towards the end a battle for position. The second round is more of the same until Bowles catches a kick and takes it to the ground. Once there he takes Mizugaki's back and locks on the body triangle, the time runs out and we are headed to round three. The third round looks like the last but this time they are standing when Bowles gets his back. Still we go to the judges after three rounds, Bowles takes the UD here.

5.GEORGE SOTIROPOULOS VS RAFAEL DOS ANJOS-two really great jiu-jitsu players go to battle here and what a short one it was. These black belts actually stayed standing here. The battle was great with both guys coming to fight but Dos Anjos lands a killer haymaker that sends Sotiropoulos to the ground. Great fight that ends in the first round but both guys looked good until the end came.

6.MELVIN GUILLARD VS SHANE ROLLER-"The Young Assassin" proved to just that in this fight here as Melvin took it to Shane like never before. This is another fight that ends in the first round and another stand up battle. Both guys come in throwing but Guillard lands some quick shots that send Roller to the ground, hard.

This was a good event that was great because Tito stuck a round with a big win but it was bittersweet. My heart was hurt after Wanderlei lost his fight to Leben but that is what can happen on any given night. Over all a great night of fights like always, hope you guys check it out. Special features include the countdown show, behind the scenes, the weigh-ins and much more.

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