Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
July 2nd marks the end of a six-week sprint of mixed martial arts, culminating with UFC 132: Faber vs. Cruz in Las Vegas, Nevada. The above video previews the main event, Urijah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz, which is for the UFC bantamweight title. This is the first time a bantamweight title fight has ever headlined a UFC pay-per-view.
I don't have any comment about the personal animus between Faber and Cruz, if for no other reason than the style contrast between to the two as well as the questions surrounding their match-up are significantly more interesting.
The key consideration of this bout is how it fight will define Faber's legacy. A former featherweight champion, Faber moved to bantamweight after losing his belt and failing at two subsequent attempts to regain them. Bantamweight is a better fit for Faber, but the losses did precipitate the transition.
Faber is easily Zuffa's most popular 'lightweight' attraction, but sits at an interesting juncture. He is 32 years old and if he is to reclaim the title, the time is likely now. While Faber might be able to fight late into his thirties, combat sports history tells us 32 is either do or die for title aspirations even for athletes as accomplished as Faber.
Yet, should he win, he has enough time to introduce his brand to more casual UFC fans, establish himself as one of the few two-division champions in MMA and likely earn significant paydays.
Cruz, by contrast, does not share the same pressures. He is not yet the marquee attraction Faber has become (and therefore has time to potentially keep building his popularity) and at 25, has time to make a title run should he lose the belt.
UFC 132 is not one of the summer's more hotly-anticipated events, but for combat sports enthusiasts paying attention, it offers resolution or further upheaval to one of Zuffa's growing divisions.
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