UFC 132: Cruz Outduels Faber, Leben Stuns Wanderlei Silva
UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 2, 2011. Dominick Cruz retained the bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision over Urijah Faber in their second meeting. The eleven-fight card also delivered Chris Leben’s 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva, Tito Ortiz’s upset submission of Ryan Bader, and a flying-knee finish from Carlos Condit.
Video: UFC 132 event buildup for Cruz and Faber’s second meeting.
Cruz retains the title and evens the rivalry
Faber had submitted Cruz in their first encounter, a WEC featherweight championship fight in 2007. Their UFC rematch took place at bantamweight, with Cruz now holding the title. Faber had earned a winning start inside the UFC by beating Eddie Wineland at UFC 128, setting up a reunion with a familiar rival in a different division.
The five-round fight combined Cruz’s constant movement and changing attacks with Faber’s more explosive counters. Faber hurt the champion at several points, but Cruz repeatedly recovered and kept working. His combinations, kicks, takedowns and quick transitions made the contest difficult to reduce to one decisive exchange.
All three judges favored Cruz, with scores of 50–45, 49–46 and 48–47. The wide range of margins reflected different readings of an active, competitive fight. Cruz retained the championship in the first UFC bantamweight title bout, and their rivalry stood at one victory apiece. Faber’s dangerous moments mattered, but they did not become a finish or a winning set of scorecards.
The main event established the division on the UFC stage with a full championship-distance contest. Its appeal came from the interaction of contrasting approaches: Cruz continually changed the positions and rhythm, while Faber sought clean, powerful answers. The result gave the champion the win while preserving the rivalry’s competitive tension.
Leben finishes Silva; Ortiz surprises Bader
Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva engaged immediately in the co-main event. Leben absorbed the early exchanges, answered with left hands and dropped Silva, finishing the middleweight bout in just 27 seconds. It was a sudden reversal of expectations for a matchup built around two aggressive veterans, and a rebound for Leben after his loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125.
Tito Ortiz produced another memorable first-round finish against Ryan Bader. A short right hand hurt Bader, and Ortiz followed with a guillotine choke that forced the tap at 1:56. The victory was Ortiz’s first since his 2006 win over Ken Shamrock, ending a long period without a successful result.
Bader entered after being submitted by Jon Jones at UFC 126. Ortiz’s win showed why a fighter’s recent record does not determine the outcome before the contest begins. The veteran still needed to create the opening, and his punch-to-submission transition supplied the decisive sequence.
Condit’s flying knee adds another contender finish
Carlos Condit stopped Dong Hyun Kim with a flying knee and follow-up punches at 2:58 of round one. The finish ended Kim’s unbeaten professional record and continued Condit’s welterweight ascent after his knockout of Dan Hardy at UFC 120. It made a strong statement in a division still led by Georges St-Pierre.
Dennis Siver won a close unanimous decision over Matt Wiman. All three judges scored it 29–28, although the verdict drew disagreement from the crowd. Their bout was the main card’s only three-round decision, separating a succession of quick finishes from the five-round championship closer.
Six preliminary fights add lightweight knockouts
Melvin Guillard knocked out Shane Roller in the first round, extending his winning streak. Rafael dos Anjos also finished early, dropping George Sotiropoulos with a punch after only 59 seconds. The two lightweight bouts supplied emphatic outcomes before the main card began.
Brian Bowles beat Takeya Mizugaki by unanimous decision, and Aaron Simpson used close-range wrestling to outpoint Brad Tavares. Anthony Njokuani won a wide decision over Andre Winner, rebounding from his competitive loss to Edson Barboza at UFC 128. In the opening bout, Jeff Hougland beat Donny Walker by unanimous decision. The preliminary card combined four full-distance contests with two immediate knockout highlights.
Complete UFC 132 results
Main card
- Dominick Cruz def. Urijah Faber — unanimous decision; round 5, 5:00. Cruz retained the bantamweight title.
- Chris Leben def. Wanderlei Silva — KO (punches); round 1, 0:27.
- Dennis Siver def. Matt Wiman — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Tito Ortiz def. Ryan Bader — submission (guillotine choke); round 1, 1:56.
- Carlos Condit def. Dong Hyun Kim — TKO (flying knee and punches); round 1, 2:58.
Preliminary card
- Melvin Guillard def. Shane Roller — KO (punches); round 1, 2:12.
- Rafael dos Anjos def. George Sotiropoulos — KO (punch); round 1, 0:59.
- Brian Bowles def. Takeya Mizugaki — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Aaron Simpson def. Brad Tavares — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Anthony Njokuani def. Andre Winner — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Jeff Hougland def. Donny Walker — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC 132, UFC Results, Mixed Martial Arts
