WEC
WEC 53 RESULTS: Dominick Cruz becomes first UFC Bantamweight Champion; believes he's on another level than potential challenger Urijah Faber
Dec 17, 2010 - 11:59:20 PM WEC 53 RESULTS: Dominick Cruz becomes first UFC Bantamweight Champion; believes he's on another level than potential challenger Urijah Faber

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Lost today in the reaction to Anthony Pettis and "the kick" was the performance by the other "final WEC Champion" on the WEC 53 card on Thursday, Dominick Cruz.

In a dominating five round performance, Cruz popped in and out from the outside on challenger Scott Jorgensen, mixing in punches, kicks and takedowns throughout the 25 minute fight to earn a clean sweep on the judges' scorecards.

The fight was not only the final WEC Bantamweight Championship bout, but it was for the first ever UFC Bantamweight Championship as well, with Cruz leaving the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz. with two belts.

With the stakes higher than either fighter had ever faced, Cruz rose to the occasion and made it look easy against a very talented fighter in Jorgensen. And the numbers from the five round fight help tell the story.

According to the FightMetric.com report for the fight, Cruz out-struck Jorgensen 243-69 throughout the 25 minute bout. He landed 129 of those strikes to the head, with another 100 getting to the body. But in addition to the striking onslaught, he took Jorgensen down on six of 13 attempts. The ground is where many of the body punches found their mark, as he kept himself busy in Jorgensen's guard, but it was standing where Cruz shined in this fight.

His speed and ability to hit Jorgensen at multiple angles and avoid counter strikes allowed him to do whatever he wanted to do in the fight. He effectively mixed up his attacks throughout and flustered Jorgensen to the end, and now he's ready for a chance at redemption against Urijah Faber, who defeated him for the WEC Featherweight Championship in 2007.

Cruz discussed that first matchup and the changes he's made since then at the event's post-fight press conference.

"[Urijah] beat me fair and square that day," Cruz said. "He was a better fighter than me that day, but it's been three years. That was my very first training camp I ever had with my coach, Eric Del Fierro. Before that fight, I was still working a full-time job, and now I can devote every ounce of energy into fighting to become the best fighter I can.

"I just know that I'm a completely different fighter than I was then. My ground game is better. My wrestling is better. My standup is much better. I have weapons everywhere. I just know I'm on another level than him."

The two could meet as coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, set to begin filming next month, though no decision has yet been made. But for Cruz, he made history on Thursday night in becoming the first UFC Bantamweight Champion, and he'll now have a chance to be the face of the UFC's bantamweight division in 2011.