Five selling points for the UFC 132 pay-per-view
There were a lot of doubters heading into UFC 131 in Vancouver, people questioning whether the five fights on the main card were worth their $50 investment.
Those who put down the money were treated to a highly entertaining evening of fights, while their opposites ended up missing out on what was the best all-around event of the year to date.
Now the time has come to make that decision once again, and for those having trouble deciding, we’ve got a group of good reasons for you to call your pay-per-view provider.
5. WHAT WILL TITO DO?
“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” is backed into a corner.
One of the preeminent stars of the UFC during “The Dark Ages” and a fighter who helped carry the sport to new heights at one point, Tito Ortiz hasn’t won since 2006. Many believe that Ortiz has already passed his expiry date in the Octagon, but the former light heavyweight champion has said he’s not ready to retire, which begs the question, “What will Tito do?”
There is no question this is must-win situation for Ortiz, but few see that happening. Can he turn back the clock for one last win, or will UFC 132 mark the final time we see Ortiz compete under the UFC banner?
He’s both one of the most popular and most polarizing fighters in the history of the sport, and if this is indeed his swan song, I wouldn’t want to miss it.
4. WHAT WILL TITO SAY?
Perhaps the more appropriate question and better reason to tune in is to hear what Ortiz will say after the fight.
Hypothetically speaking, if Ryan Bader goes out and dominates Ortiz the way many people believe he will, you have to be curious as hell to hear what Ortiz is going to come up with when Joe Rogan puts the mic in front of his face. And make no mistake about it: win or lose, Ortiz is going to get some time on the mic.
He’s cried, complained of a broken neck and fractured skull, and said just about everything else you can think of in between. Considering this could be his final trip into the Octagon, you better believe there will be some kind of speech coming from the former light heavyweight champion after this one.
Now tell me – do you really want to miss that?
3. CARLOS CONDIT IS FIGHTING
When’s the last time the former WEC welterweight champion was in a fight that wasn’t captivating or entertaining?
I honestly don’t know if there has ever been one, as all four of his UFC battles have been exhilarating and his final WEC contest was a Fight of the Year contender against Hiromitsu Miura.
Whether he’s battling from behind like he did against Rory MacDonald or connecting quicker than his opponent as happened against Dan Hardy, Condit is always exciting. He also might only be one more win away from fighting for the welterweight title.
A victory here would give him a four-fight winning streak and halt Dong Hyun Kim’s unbeaten run. With the dearth of competition in the 170 pound ranks, a victory could set up a meeting between “The Natural Born Killer” and the winner of October’s St. Pierre-Diaz showdown.
2. SUPER AWESOME UGLY BRAWL ALERT
Wanderlei Silva said he wants to chase after the Fight of the Night bonus. Chris Leben thought that was a tremendous idea.
Wanderlei said he hopes to combine with “The Crippler” in a Fight of the Year contender. Leben has never met a good fist fight he didn’t like.
If you’re looking for technical prowess and precision jabs, continue your search elsewhere. This one is going to be an absolute brawl between two dudes who are a willing to take seven to land one, and don’t know how to do anything other than stand in the pocket and swing.
What takes this one up a notch is that both Wanderlei and Leben are on the downside of their careers and no longer possess the granite chins that let them take so many savage beatings in the past.
While the prediction hasn’t held true very often in recent memory, there is a very good chance that someone is going to sleep in this one and it’s going to be explosive if it happens.
1. HEATED RIVALRY COMES TO A HEAD
Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber really, really don’t like each other. Saturday night, they’re going to be locked in the Octagon for up to 25 minutes trying to beat the living daylights out of each other. If that wasn’t enough, the winner will walk away with the UFC bantamweight title wrapped around their waist.
This is the first title defense for Cruz in the UFC and a chance for the best fighter too many fans have never heard of avenge the lone loss of his career and establish himself as a star on the biggest stage.
For Faber, it’s a chance to once again prove he’s better than Cruz, take his title and add another accomplishment to his already impressive resume.
Plus, they each get to beat the bejesus out of a guy they despise.
Sounds like something I want to watch.