MMA Combat - UFC 132 - Cruz vs. Faber, Pick 'em

MMA Combat - UFC 132 - Cruz vs. Faber, Pick 'em

UFC 132 - Cruz vs. Faber takes place this Saturday, June 2, 2011, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, and features a bantamweight title fight between fierce rivals Uriah "The California Kid" Faber and Dominick "The Dominator" Cruz in what is expected to be a fight of the year candidate, although co-main event participants Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva may have something to say about that. Below you will find our picks for this weekend's main-card, with a brief explanation behind each.

Matt Wiman (13-5-0) vs. Dennis Siver (18-7-0)
Matt Wiman is a winner in three straight appearances and looks to put together his second four-fight winning streak since joining the promotion. With his relentless pace and commitment to takedowns, Wiman can be a headache for any lightweight without solid takedown defense. Although he lacked just that at one time, Dennis Siver - a winner in three straight himself - has demonstrated great improvements in each of his recent bouts. A strong, technical striker with a growing knowledge of wrestling and submissions, I expect Siver to dictate the majority of this contest, ultimately stopping Wiman on third round strikes.

Carlos Condit (26-5-0) vs. Dong Hyun Kim (14-0-1)
A winner of three in a row "The Natural Born Killer" Carlos Condit is a finisher by nature. Having posted 13 submissions and 12 [T]KOs in 26 professional wins, Condit has been to decision only three times in 31 bouts to date. If there is a vulnerability, it's against high-level grapplers, but as he demonstrated against Rory MacDonald, victory is never more than one or two big strikes away. Dong Hyun Kim is a big welterweight with fantastic takedowns and stifling top control. Undefeated at 5-0 (1 NC) inside the octagon, Kim simply grinds a little harder than his opposition as is proof by his seven decision wins. We're going with the South Korean here via unanimous decision as the style match-up does not appear favorable for the Team Jackson representative. It is worth noting that this bout could be a sleeper for fight of the night honors.

Tito Ortiz (15-8-1) vs. Ryan Bader (12-1-0)
Former UFC light heavyweight champion, Tito Ortiz, has not realized top form since 2004/2005. Hampered by lingering injuries that have made the once explosive wrestler and ground and pound specialist rely on other parts of his game, Ortiz is in deep against a fighter with a similar skill-set to his own with far fewer miles on his body. Look for Bader to negate any takedowns Ortiz may attempt as he is the more accomplished wrestler regardless of the age gap. Something else Bader possesses, is power in his hands that Ortiz has never been known for. The odds are stacked against "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy," which is why we're picking Ryan Bader via unanimous decision.

Wanderlei Silva (33-10-1) vs. Chris Leben (25-7-0)
Wanderlei Silva for more than a decade has been one of my favorite fighters to watch. Five years he reigned over the PRIDE FC middleweight division, striking fear into his opponents with the game's most fabled staredown, which fighting with a chip on his shoulder larger than could be found anywhere in the game. PRIDE epitomized the young Brazilian; a 34 year-old father today, Silva has mellowed from his earlier days, but showed in his debut at 185lbs against Michael Bisping that he is still a very dangerous man, flooring Bisping in the final moments of the bout and picking up with win with a unanimous decision. Chris Leben lives and dies by the sword in a similar fashion. A brawler with big knockout power in his hands, "The Crippler" posted three great victories in 2010 before being stopped by the powerful Brian Stann on first round strikes this past January 1. My thinking is Silva finds himself in similar waters to Ortiz; coming off an injury, having not competed since February 2010, he will likely experience some rust as Leben takes a close decision from the man he once emulated as a young fighter himself.

UFC Bantamweight Championship
Urijah Faber (25-4-0) vs. Dominick Cruz (17-1-0)
One thing everyone agrees on heading into Saturday's main-event for the UFC bantamweight title is that you can throw the history books out with concern to their first encounter; both of these world class athletes are different fighters today, and particularly the champ, Dominick Cruz. Cruz is one of the sport's more elusive fighters, bobbing and weaving for as long as the fight lasts with an endless gas tank at his disposal. He has been defeated only once in eighteen professional bouts and has showed flashes of possessing the timing and well rounded game akin to welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre; but at 25-4 and 32 years of age, Faber is one of those special talents blessed with a healthy body after years of competition and hasn't lost a step to-date. He remains one of the more creative and crafty fighters in MMA and with consecutive wins since joining the 135lbs ranks, has the confidence back that made him too a top pound-for-pound fighter not long ago. The pick here is Faber; the creativity and experience of the one-time featherweight champ will be the difference in a highly contested bout, as Faber locks in a submission in the championship rounds.


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