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KELLER'S UFC 132 PPV BLOG: Faber vs. Cruz, Silva vs. Leben - Random Thoughts in Chronological Order
Jul 2, 2011 - 10:21:36 PM KELLER'S UFC 132 PPV BLOG: Faber vs. Cruz, Silva vs. Leben - Random Thoughts in Chronological Order

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By Wade Keller, MMATorch Supervising Editor

KELLER'S UFC 132 PPV BLOG
july 2, 2011
LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS, NEV. AT MGM GRAND

MMATorch columnist Rich Hansen is providing our main fight card coverage tonight with blow-by-blow highlights and star ratings. I'll be blogging, as usual, as the show progresses. MMATorch Editor-in-Chief Jamie Penick will be covering the show on delay, so look for his point of view on this event later this weekend.

SOME PRELIM CARD THOUGHTS...

-Preview Show Quote - Wanderlei Silva: "I am going to knock out him."

-Contrasting the first two fights (one live, one from the Facebook prelim card), Rafael Dos Anjos landed one punch that collapsed George Sotiropoulos for the finish less than a minute in, and then Anthony Njokuani vs. Andre Winner featured a full first round barrage of one-sided stand-up Muay Thai offense by Njokuani, but lacking that singular knockout blow to end it. The fact that Winner took that beating and was still standing going into the second and survived into the third was pretty amazing. The ref had to be so close to ending it, but Winner's ability to keep fighting showed that the ref made the right decision within the rules as Winner wasn't collapsing and was for the most part keeping his hands up.

-Joe Rogan made a good comment in the third round that Winner will come out of this beating with knowledge to become a better fighter. Rogan said fighters learn from fighting better fighter than themselves because they learn what they're vulnerable to and where they need to improve. Winner seemed to learn as the fight progressed, although that could have also been a case of Njokuani also getting a bit more conservative once he knew he won two rounds and after realizing he wasn't able to finish Winner with his power in the first.

-If that first round of Njokuani vs. WInner wasn't 10-7. what does a 10-7 round look like? I'm not sure I would want to watch it. And the fact that one judge gave the first round a 10-9 score doesn't change the outcome of the fight, but seems about as outrageous as some bad calls that change the outcomes of fights. What would someone have to do to get that judge to score it 10-8?

-Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller: Guillard smelled blood and showed how you finish a fight when you have your opponent hurt. Roller went for his instincts and tried to shoot in on Guillard and close the punching distance, but Guillard avoided a takedown and made sure there wasn't a millimeter of room for Roller to sneak in a comeback or a second to regain his senses. A contrast to how Njokuani went after Winner aggressively, but the same aggressiveness that Guillard did... Guillard pointed out that he's 5-0 on the Fourth of July weekend cards. He called for a fight in October in Houston, Tex. He said he wants Frankie Edgar and a belt around his waist. He said he has wrestling skills, too, that he hasn't had a chance show off yet.

-In the Crowd: They showed Rihanna in the front row.

-They had 13 minutes to fill after the second live fight on Spike TV. They hyped the big PPV fights and showed Chris Leben sharing a laugh backstage with his pit crew as he got prepped. Rogan said Wanderlei Silva changed the way people looked at fighting with "a ridiculously aggressive" style. He said "everyone is terrified of his standup." Mike Goldberg and Rogan said Leben idolized Silva and now has emulated him. Rogan said, as he has said before the past few Leben fights, that he's more than a fighter now, but also a martial artist. He said he's grown and matured as a human being, "a completely different person" than on The Ultimate Fighter.

-Goldberg said that if Tito Ortiz doesn't win tonight, it's the last time we'll see him in the Octagon. It was nearly ten years ago when I attended UFC's first event ever in Las Vegas, Nev. when they had the pryo for Tito Ortiz and he was scheduled to face Vitor Belfort in the main event. He was the top star in UFC then, and even though he's hasn't been a true main eventer or title contender for many years, it's a credit that nearly ten years later, with UFC absorbing almost all of the world's top fighters, he's still relevant enough to be third from the top in the same building in 2011. I do hope it Ortiz loses he doesn't end his UFC career by listing the undisclosed injuries that caused him to lose. For nostalgia, I want to see him win and become relevant again. But I figure he'll do or say something to remind me why in the past I've wanted him to go away. I still think Tito Ortiz can make some money with WWE some day if his MMA career ends soon.

PAY-PER-VIEW THOUGHTS

-Just a production suggestion. I think UFC would do themselves and casual viewers a service by showing the reigning champion in a picture before every fight that is within that weight division, and then have the announcers set the stage for what's roughly at stake in this fight relative to the fighters' title standing. Yes, occasionally that means drawing attention to the fact that two fighters are nowhere near the title, but it'd be a logical place to give face-time to the reigning champs and remind people relentlessly that every fight has an impact on the rankings within each division. I think the more backstory in that respect UFC announcers provide to viewers before each fight, and the more they show pictures of the reigning champion, the more "in perspective" each fight is for the fans. I don't see a downside. It's crazy that UFC can do four or five shows without showing a picture of George St. Pierre or Anderson Silva. Especially when it comes to the lighter divisions with a new roster of fighters for many UFC fans, it's a chance to establish the faces and names of champions who will be all over the hype for future UFC PPV events.

1 -- CARLOS CONDIT vs. DONG HYUN KIM - WELTERWEIGHT (170 LB.)

ROUND ONE: Kim impressively took Condit down in the opening minute, but more impressively Condit escaped and nearly applied a guillotine. Back to their feet at 1:07 with the crowd cheering. At 3:00 Condit landed a flying knee that nailed him. He followed with a barrage of punches to end it. "That's a huge, huge victory for Carlos Condit," said Rogan. Yes it is. Kim's first loss (sort of).

WINNER: Condit in

STAR RATING: (**+) Impressive decisive finish for Condit.

RAMIFICATIONS: Did Condit just leapfrog Jon Fitch in the standings for the winner of GSP vs. Nick Diaz. Condit asked: "Joe Silva, am I ready for a title shot or not?" Should Condit vs. Fitch take place first? Web visitors, comment below.

-In the Crowd: Kevin James, comedic actor.

2 -- TITO ORTIZ vs. RYAN BADER

-I suppose it's a credit to UFC's match-making policy that Ortiz hasn't had any easy wins handed to him since Ken Shamrock five years ago. Unfortunately for Ortiz that means he hasn't won since 2006. Goldberg mentioned that, but listed the level of his opponents and also the back and neck surgeries he had to fix issues that he feels were costing him fights.

-Ortiz waved an American flag on his way to the ring. He did his signature mid-ring arm slam gesture during his ring intro.

ROUND ONE: Tito takes Bader down with a tight close-in uppercut, seizes it like he's Guillard with another punch, and then he visibly tries to figure out what to do next against this standout wrestler, first opting to try to punch him, but then shifting frenetically into a guillotine. Bader held on for a few seconds, but Tito was squeezing like he was letting out five years of frustration and he even held it a second or two past the ref calling it, probably because his muscles were locked in place. He celebrated like he never has before, including his title fights. That seriously has to be such a huge, huge monkey off of his back and such a great feeling for him. Good for him. Bader is for real, as no loss to Jon Jones should be considered embarrassing or an indication you're not tough as Jones is just on that other level right now.

WINNER: Tito Ortiz via tapout at 1:56.

STAR RATING: (**) - Not a lot to the fight, but historic and significant given how long Ortiz has gone without a win over a legit top ten fighter. And what a finish. You're not human if you didn't pick up on how much that moment meant to Tito. If his back and neck surgery was what was holding him back, and that's better now, his career could be long from over. His next fight will draw, and his next payday will give him a taste of what - as a pioneer who fought for relatively little in the early days - he missed out in the late 1990s.

INTERVIEW: Ortiz thanked Dana White for pushing him to the limit and Lorenzo Fertitta for providing a good life for his family. Tito called in his three trainers and two sparring partners, noting that they're all he has in his own camp. He said he won't spend time away from his family because his kids grow up so fast and he didn't want to miss out.

-In the Crowd: Randy Couture and Chuck LIddell. Is it tough for Liddell to see one of his top rivals having a resurgence, something he strived for but came up short of making happen against similarly stiff competition in his final fights.

3 -- MATT WIMAN vs. DENNIS SIVER -- LIGHTWEIGHT (155 LB.)

ROUND ONE: Close round, not real damage. A late takedown for Wiman may be enough for him to get the round... Wimen has the URL www.meetyourmeat.com on the back of his shorts. It's a good message, and I'm happy to see MMA fighters being an unlikely source of raising awareness of this issue...

ROUND TWO: Siver is a karate guy. Rogan said Lyoto Machida has brought karate back into relevance, and even though karate doesn't have the power of Muay Thai techniques, it comes at a price which is forecasting the strikes... Wiman ends up in Siver's full guard, but guts him on his forehead with some tight elbows... By 3:30 blood all over Siver's forehead and splattered all over the mat. Wiman opens up with a barrage from the top, scorings points as Siver fought just to see through the puddles of blood in his eye sockets...

ROUND THREE: Siver went for a spinning back kick early... A couple submission attempts from his back by Wiman near 4:00 - one guillotine and another on the arm. Wiman took him down again, but Siver got up 20 seconds later. With 20 seconds left, Siver kicked Wiman's front leg while lifted, tripping Wiman to the mat. He closed the fight on his back with a guillotine, but the horn sounded a second into the hold...

WINNER: Siver via judges' unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

-When the decision was announced, the justifiably supremely confident Wimen reacted with disgust and yanked his hand away from the referee and stormed out of the ring. I don't blame him. What fight did all three judges see that I missed? Rogan was shocked and immediately asked Siver if he was surprised by the decision. Siver said it was close.

STAR RATING: (**) - Entertaining fight, but not spectacularly exciting and lacking a decisive finish. Another lesson in not leaving the fight to the judges. Not the biggest outrage ever, as the first and third could have been considered close, but it still qualifies as a surprise call by the judges. Even if you give Siver the slight edge in round one and the edge in round three, it's a case for more liberal use of the 10-8 score because Wiman won the fight overall based on that dominant second.

4 -- CHRIS LEBEN vs. WANDERLEI SILVA -- MIDDLEWEIGHT (185 LBS.)

-Rogan talked up Leben's progress again, saying this will be the best version of Leben to enter the Octagon. Goldberg noted that Leben had been knocked out only twice, by Anderson Silva in his UFC debut and more recently Brian Stann, which in retrospect is no shame at all... Rogan said Leben is the perfect fighter to have a highlight video contest with Silva, it's Leben...

-Rogan noted that SIlva's intro music reminds him of Pride. Goldberg said it's an honor to call Silva's fights since he helped bring MMA to a new level. They raved about his aggressive big knockouts in Pride in Japan... As Silva entered the cage, Goldberg exclaimed, "How good is our job?" Rogan said, "It doesn't get any better than this." They are great at conveying excitement and building up fights to that next level, and picking their spots so they aren't pure hucksters... Silva is only about to turn 35...

-The crowd didn't react much to Leben, but more cheers than boos. The crowd recognized Silva for being legend he is in this sport.

ROUND ONE: Silva came out aggressively, but Leben plowed through and KO'd in destructive fashion with a series of more than a half dozen left uppercuts. When Silva came to, he thought the referee was Leben and the ref had to yell at him that the fight was over.

WINNER: Leben via KO in 0:27.

-SIlva watched the replay and was apparently so dismayed that he just walked out of the Octagon without staying around for the arm-raising announcement. It had to be hard to watch, as he ended up face-down on the mat completely knocked out. He is sharing the same feelings that Chuck Liddell had, which is that his chin isn't what it once was after being hit so many times. It doesn't hurt that Leben is an ultra-powerful puncher, but I'd be surprised if UFC doesn't consider this the final fight for Silva. Silva's only 35, though, but he had a year and a half to prepare and rest for this fight and despite Leben's punching power, that was not a confidence-boosting showing that he still has any business in the Octagon.

INTERVIEW: Leben may have edged Ortiz for intensity and excitement afterward.

STAR RATING (**) - Amazing knockout. Disappointing in that it didn't last longer and wasn't more competitive, and it's sad to see a legend like Silva who looked so confident and ready to fight collapse like that in less than 30 seconds, but such is the reality of the fighting world and especially aging fighters who go all-out in their early career and don't adjust to protect themselves later in their career when they don't have the young chin. Although given Leben's punching power, maybe that wouldn't have mattered, because we shouldn't write this off as just Leben beating a spent athlete with great offense but no chin left.

-Goldberg interviewed Jason Momoa, an actor from "Conan the Barbarian" movie. He was a Leben fan.

-In the Crowd: Justin Bieber.

-Goldberg and Rogan talked about the Leben win. With 90 minutes left in the show's three-hour window, there's plenty of time to hype the main event. They talked not just about the fighters, but the division itself and the excitement of a Bantamweight Title fight.

5 -- DOMINICK CRUZ vs. URIJAH FABER -- BANTAMWEIGHT (135 LB.) TITLE MATCH

-Rogan said during Faber's entrance that "real fans" know this is one of the most exciting fights possible in MMA and two of the greatest athletes. He's really hard-selling this, as he knows this is new territory this year for UFC to be presenting former WEC divisions in a main event slot on a UFC PPV. To many fans, sadly, these two aren't well known or even respected because of the weight limit of the division...

ROUND ONE: No glove touch... Faber went for a takedown for about 15 seconds sustained early, but Cruz avoided dropping to the mat... Faber knocked Cruz to the mat for a split second with a straight punch. Cruz landed a couple punches, too. Cruz was all over the place with more speed and energy than Faber, although that's no knock on Faber who was energetic, too. Tough to call this round. Could go either way, but I'll give the edge to Faber on strikes landed and attempted takedowns...

ROUND TWO: The taller Cruz dropped his hands and dared Faber to move in recklessly. Faber landed a big right at 1:40, but Cruz didn't sell a thing... At 3:15 Rogan noted that Cruz took a deep breath and looked up at the clock. He said Cruz's style uses up a lot of energy... Faber scored with a punch that knocked Cruz backward in the final minute, but with 30 seconds left Cruz took Faber down. But 15 seconds later Faber was back up on his feet, and as Goldberg pointed out, every time Faber lands a punch on the "exit"... Cruz played to the judges in the last seconds with a combination... This favored Faber again, although the takedown may swing some judges to giving him the round, but Faber deserves it over...

ROUND THREE: Even the minute between rounds on this fight seems to move faster than the heavier divisions.. Cruz landed a left on the chin in the opening seconds, but Faber didn't sell it... Cruz landed a few blows at 2:00 and seemed to gain confidence... Faber went for a takedown and got it, but immediately Cruz rolled on top of Faber. Faber immediately scrambled and got free and then landed a big swing on the way up as they separated. Crazy action that felt like it was in fast-forward mode... This goes to Cruz for the takedown and the flurry at 2:00, although again it wouldn't be an outrage if a judge scored it the other way. It's tough to even call who the more confident fighter is as they both are still pretty fresh. Cruz takes deep breaths, but that seems just as much an attempt to discipline himself into breathing as much as his needing it because he's tired...

ROUND FOUR: Cruz landed a big right at 0:30, but again Faber didn't really sell it... At 1:00 Faber knocked Cruz four feet backward with a right. Cruz popped right back up and went for a takedown. Faber shoved him off and took a big swung that missed... A loud "Faber" chant at 2:00... More of the same from the first three rounds. A close fight. Edge to Faber, and the impressive avoidance of the takedown attempts accentuates that Faber is frustrating Cruz's gameplan... Hardly lop-sided, though...

ROUND FIVE: At 1:00 Cruz had Faber pushed against the fence. Faber is so hard to keep down. Faber pushed out of the corner 30 seconds later and they were back in center-ring... Cruz appeared to take Faber down again, but Faber instantly switched and applied a guillotine attempt. Cruz slipped free and Faber instantly went for a big swing on the exit again... Cruz again took Faber down, but Faber scrambled immediately free and back to his feet. Goldberg called it "huge scoring here in the fifth." Rogan said it's going to take expert judges to figure this out with so much going on... Cruz took Faber down again, ever so briefly, at 2:45 and then pushed him against the fence... Rogan said: "I don't care who wins this fight, I want to see it again"... Rogan said he thinks Cruz has landed more shots overall... Two more brief takedowns by Cruz in the final minute as the crowd heated up and the intensity increased... With 17 seconds left, they were back mid-ring for the finale. Faber stuffed a takedown attempt as the fight ended. The horn sounded. Faber immediately raised his arm. Cruz followed seconds later...

WINNER: Cruz via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47) to retain the title. It's hard to feel too outraged by any decision as it was close and subjective. Cruz seemed to finish stronger, but I'm not sure how a judge could see all five for Cruz. When that first score was read, Cruz looked more worried than hopeful... I think if you believe a champion has to be soundly defeated, Faber didn't soundly defeat the champ. So if you're not sure who came out ahead, I do tend to agree that you go with the champ.

STAR RATING (***+) - Fast pace, but no sense anyone was ever in jeopardy of closing out the fight either on the feet or on the mat.

INTERVIEW: An elated Cruz thanked God several times. He said Faber hits hard and that was what surprised him the most... Faber was in good spirits for his interview. Faber said he thought he landed the heavier punches. Faber said he'd do it again... Goldberg went an entire PPV without saying "classy," I believe. He called Faber "gracious in defeat," and I was waiting for the streak to be kept alive with a "classy in defeat" phrase instead...

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