In March 24th, 2007, WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber defended his 145 lb. strap for the second of 5 defenses against a relative unknown. About a minute in, Faber made the unknown fighter tap via guillotine choke, improving to a (then) 18-1, en route to eventually losing the title to Mike Brown.
For that relative unknown, Dominick Cruz it was the only time he has ever tasted defeat in his career. A post fight incident involving a auctioned poster which didn't feature Cruz and only Faber was signed by Cruz across Faber's face, creating a rift between the 2 fighters.
On Saturday Night from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Cruz gets his opporutnity to avenge his loss. He is now 18-1, making his UFC debut and defending the newly minted UFC bantamweight championship. As for Faber, he defended that featherweight belt for 2 years before losing it to Brown, later dropping to 135 after a one sided pasting at the hands of Jose Aldo. He's won both fights since the drop, taking care of Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki and decisioning Eddie Wineland. Now 26-4, He gets the opportunity to finally let his fists do the talking against Cruz.
Onto My Picks :
Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber - The Main Event will be the first bantamweight championship match in UFC history (Remember, Cruz won the title by beating Scott Jorgensen on the last WEC card). Cruz hasn't fought since then due to injury, while Faber was able to decision former champion Eddie Wineland this past March.
The X-factor to this fight will not be whether or not Cruz can outstrike or out box Faber : Its well documented how much of a tactical striker he is. Rather the question will be can he outwrestle the former NCAA division 1 wrestler. I'm tending to think Cruz's striking will keep him around further than last time, but Faber will ultimately time the champ to take him down, leading to a late 3rd/early 4th round stoppage.
The Pick : Faber by submission.
Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben - The co-main event features 2 brawlers in former PRIDE Light Heavyweight World Champion Wanderlei Silva and TUF 1st season alum Chris Leben. Silva hasn't fought since decisioning Michael Bisping in early 2010 due to injury, while Leben fought on the New Year's Day card in 2011, getting kneed and knocked out by former US Soldier Brian Stann.
I can see this fight going extremely similar to Silva vs. Bisping. The Brazilian will try to keep himself out of Leben's heavy hands and may even show an aptitude for Jiu-Jitsu at some point. While I do expect him to take a shot or two, I ultimately believe "The Ax Murderer" will have enough in his tank to down the American.
The Pick : Silva by decision.
Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim - Notable striker Carlos Condit and Korean fighter Dong Hyun Kim square off with possible title implications. With the notable controversy surrounding Nate Marquardt and Rick Story dropping his Versus fight vs Charlie Brennerman, this could no doubt give us the next contender in line for a shot at the 170 lb. title (remember, Condit and current champion Georges St. Pierre are teammates, and Condit has made it clear he has no bones about facing GSP). Condit hasn't fought since knocking out former welterweight challenger Dan Hardy last October, while Kim has "wanted GSP" since downing Nate Diaz in January. Expect Condit to keep this fight standing as long as he can. If he can sprawl and keep the korean Kim at bay, it might be only a matter of time before his fist lands on Kim's chin.
The Pick : Condit by TKO.
Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller - Lightweight contender Melvin Guillard faces WEC alum Shane Roller in one of the 2 televised prelims on Spike. Guillard last fought in January at Fort Hood, Texas, knocking out Evan Dunham in the 1st round, while Roller last fought in March knocking out Thiago Tavares. I expect this to be a slugfest, with Guillard having his hand raised.
The Pick : Guillard by KO.
Those are my picks. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment at the bottom or email me at mmarmaggeddon@gmail.com or feel free to follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/mmarmaggedon
Until next time, fight fans!
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