UFC 132 Fight Card: Predictions You Can Take to the Bank

The UFC always makes their Fourth of July weekend card one of the best of the year, and this year might be the best they’ve ever had.

The first-ever UFC bantamweight title fight is going down this weekend, and we can’t ask for a better matchup than bitter rivals Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

Throw in a guaranteed slugfest between Chris Leben and Wanderlei Silva, plus what may be the final fight for Tito Ortiz inside the Octagon, and this may be the best card of 2011.

Prelim Predictions

• Melvin Guillard over Shane Roller via first-round KO.
• George Sotiropoulos over Rafael dos Anjos via Unanimous Decision.
• Brian Bowles over Takeya Mizugaki via second-round Submission.
• Brad Tavares over Aaron Simpson via Unanimous Decision.
• Anthony Njokuani over Andre Winner via third-round TKO.
• Donny Walker over Jeff Hougland via second-round Submission.

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Siver is the favorite here, coming off a huge win over George Sotiropoulos in February that helped make the 155 lbs. division the cluster that it is.

Wiman has some solid wrestling to go with some heavy hands, which makes him a threat no matter where he fight goes.

Siver is too good on the feet to get knocked out by Wiman, and his takedown defense looked rock solid against Sotiropoulos.

Winner: Dennis Siver via second-round TKO.

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

While Condit is the bigger name, this fight is much closer than a lot of fans realize.

Kim is technically undefeated (Karo Parisyan drama aside) and has the same kind of brutal top control Jon Fitch has been using to become one of the top guys in the sport.

It’s tough to see Condit overcoming that, but the knock on Kim is that he seems to gas in the later rounds.

Condit has one thing going for him, and that’s his ability to finish; I think he does his job.

Winner: Carlos Condit via third-round TKO.

Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader

Let's be honest, Ryan Bader should crush Tito Ortiz in this fight.

Bader has some brutal power in his hands, a solid wrestling background and has lost only once in his career.

But something keeps telling me to pick Tito, and I can’t ignore it anymore. Feel free to blast me for this one in the comments.

Winner: Tito Ortiz via Unanimous Decision.

Wanderlei Silva vs. Chris Leben

They both asked for it, the fans asked for it and Dana White delivered.

I almost wish they would let WWE legend Jim Ross commentate this fight, because this fight has "Slobberknocker" written all over it.

These two will go hard for as long as needed, but let's be honest, this one probably isn’t going the distance.

Both guys can take a few shots, throw a few more and throw everything with bad intentions.

This is a toss-up. I’m picking Wanderlei because I want to see him fight Sonnen later this year, but I don’t have any idea who’s winning this one.

Winner: Wanderlei Silva via second-round TKO.

Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber: Bantamweight Title Fight

This is the biggest fight in bantamweight history, and it’s only fitting Urijah Faber is somehow involved.

While Faber has been a featherweight for most of his career, he’s been the unofficial king of the little guys for a long time now, and it’s nice to see him finally get his shot at the big time.

Cruz is the perfect opponent for Faber. Having already lost to "The California Kid" early in his career, Cruz not only wants to prove that he is a much better fighter than he once was, he has had a genuine dislike for Faber ever since.

Cruz has improved dramatically since the first fight, and I’d almost like to see him grab a victory here, but Faber is going to be a bit too much for him.

Winner: Urijah Faber via fourth-round Submission.