Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber Prove Little Guys Are Worthy of Big Hype

LAS VEGAS -- On paper, the rationale behind the UFC 132 lineup seemed simple enough: get them to come for stars like Tito Ortiz and Wanderlei Silva, and they'll stay for Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

No matter what you think of that hypothesis in theory, after the show that Cruz and Faber put on in Saturday night's main event title bout, you have to admit that it worked perfectly in execution.

Perhaps Cruz, who retained his UFC bantamweight title with a unanimous decision win over Faber after five close rounds, put it best: "We all train hard. We all work hard. Just because we're little guys doesn't mean we can't scrap."

The difference is that, after UFC 132, everyone knows it. And it's about time.

Years from now we'll probably look back on the slow, arduous rise of MMA's little guys from the cable TV hinterlands of the WEC on Versus to the main event of UFC pay-per-views and wonder why it took so long for some of the sport's most consistently exciting fighters to get the recognition they deserve.

Think about how long they fought for a fraction of what bigger fighters were getting. Better yet, think about how seldom they gassed out, or showed up to a fight unprepared, or just failed to put on a memorable performance.

But, the conventional wisdom told us, people don't want to see midgets in board shorts. They want the big guys. They want heavyweights swinging haymakers at one another's chins until someone falls down or just huffs and puffs to a full stop on his own volition. Who cares about 135-pound dynamos who are as exciting in the 25th minute as they are in the first?

Judging by the sound of Saturday night's crowd during the final seconds of Cruz-Faber, however, the conventional wisdom once again turns out to be woefully wrong.

As UFC president Dana White put it, "No matter how big the star power is on the undercard, these guys are fighting for the title. They deserve the respect to be number one, and tonight they went out and earned it. They've done it a million times before, but tonight everybody really saw it. Tonight, here in Las Vegas, tons of stars, a big 4th of July fight, and they went out and showed the world what we already knew."

Of course, here's where the cynic might wonder why, if White knew it would turn out like this all along, he kept the little fellas underpaid and under-appreciated in the WEC for so long, but that's water under the cheaply constructed bridge now. The point is, they're here now, and we should all be grateful for it.

For 25 minutes on Saturday night, Cruz and Faber gave us everything we've come to expect from the lighter weight classes. The only thing more impressive than the technique on display was the pace. Those two fought like a couple of chihuahuas battling over the last piece of bacon, and by the end even the spectators were breathing hard.

At the post-fight press conference, Cruz summed it up best: "It feels like I was in a tornado and I was running into stuff -- dressers and what not, I don't know."

But besides just the physical, these two also delivered the pre-fight hype. They spent weeks taking verbal potshots at each other, and fight week was one quotable quip after another between the two familiar rivals.

Even when it was all over and Faber gave Cruz his due as a worthy champion, he couldn't quite bring himself to doff his cap completely. When asked if the rivalry was now over and he was ready to acknowledge Cruz as the alpha dog in the neighborhood, Faber paused.

"I have to watch the fight again," he said.

After the performance those two delivered, he may not be the only one.

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Dominick Cruz, Urijah Faber Due for X-Rays

Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber will be required x-rays in order for them to compete once more before the end of the year.

According to medical suspensions issued by the Nevada state athletic commission, bantamweight champion Cruz will need an x-ray on his right hand and Faber will have to receive an x-ray on his right hand/wrist, right shoulder and chest. At the very least, Faber will be suspended until Aug. 17 and is not allowed contact until Aug. 2.

Below is a rundown of the medical suspensions issued to the rest of the fighters following Saturday's UFC 132 event at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

-- Former WEC champ Brian Bowles, who has a history of broken hands, will need an x-ray on his right hand and has been medically suspended until Aug. 2 with no contact until July 24. Bowles saw a doctor Tuesday and he did not suffer a broken hand.

-- Anthony Njokuani, who is also noted for a chipped tooth, will need to have the contusion on his lower left leg cleared by a doctor. Andre Winner is not allowed contact until July 24 for facial bruising in his decision loss to Njokuani.

-- Dong Hyun Kim is required to have a doctor clear him for a right orbital fracture following his knockout loss to Carlos Condit. Kim is medically suspended until Sept. 1 with no contact until Aug. 17.

-- Shane Roller was knocked out by Melvin Guillard and will be required to have his right orbital fracture cleared by a doctor. Roller has been medically suspended until Sept. 1 with no contact until Aug. 17. Meanwhile, Guillard is not allowed contact until July 17 for a cut under his right eye.

-- Dennis Siver, who suffered cuts on his forehead in a win over Matt Wiman, is not allowed contact until Aug. 2.

-- Wanderlei Silva, who was knocked out by Chris Leben, is not allowed contact until Aug. 17.

-- In his loss to Aaron Simpson, Brad Tavares suffered a left eyebrow laceration and has been suspended until Aug. 2 with no contact until July 24.

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Brian Bowles Hand Not Broken in UFC 132 Win, Wants Dominick Cruz Next

In between rounds of his UFC 132 fight, Brian Bowles could be heard telling his corner that he thought he had broken his hand. It is an experience in which he has prior knowledge. In March 2010, Bowles saw his bantamweight championship run come to an end after a fractured hand stopped him from answering the bell for the third round of his title fight with Dominick Cruz.

That time, he was correct, and the injury knocked him out of action for an entire year. This time, he wasn't. Bowles fought on against Takeya Mizugaki and earned a unanimous decision. Then on Tuesday, he found out that his right hand left the fight intact.

Bowles' manager Andrew F. Beach confirmed to MMA Fighting that the fighter's injuries were not as severe as originally believed.

"It's not broken," he said. "There is some injury as anyone could tell from the swelling that followed, but the big thing was it's not broken, so whatever it is shouldn't keep him out for long."

Bowles didn't see a doctor until returning home from Las Vegas, and waiting for the swelling to partially subside.

The win was Bowles' second straight since returning from his previous injury. Prior to UFC 132, he defeated Damacio Page via guillotine choke submission.

Now 10-1, Bowles and his team hope that the back-to-back wins will move him to the front of the line, and a rematch with Cruz, where they believe there is still unfinished business. While some believe Demetrious Johnson -- ironically, also 10-1 -- is a more deserving candidate, Beach cites historical precedent as to why Bowles should get the title match opportunity.

"My position is, I don't even understand really why there is a question," he said. "When you go back and look at what's happened in UFC and WEC, whenever the champ lost, he got a rematch within a fight or two, as long as he's winning. Look back at Bowles' record up until he faced Cruz. That fight ended with a broken hand. History has kind of rewritten itself that Cruz finished it. But the only thing that happened is he won the first two rounds against someone with a broken hand. I'm not saying he wouldn't have won, but Brian could've knocked him out or submitted him somewhere in the last three rounds.

"Since then, he's finished Damacio Page in a submission of the night, and then he comes comes back and beats a tough Mizugaki. It's almost a little disrespectful to even question why Mighty Mouse in there. People are so used to seeing Brian finish and he wasn't able to do it, but it was still a solid win. He deserves it."

By way of contrast, Bowles' decision win over Mizugaki was the first time he's gone to the judges' scorecards in his professional career. He's finished six of his UFC/WEC wins, four by submission and two by KO. Johnson has been to decisions in four of his 11 pro fights. All of those, however, have come since signing with Zuffa in April 2010. During that time, his only finish has come in a third-round submission of Damacio Page. It was the second win in his current four-fight win streak.

The UFC has yet to tip their hand as to the next challenger for Cruz, but Bowles and Johnson remain the most likely candidates.

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