UFC 132 Recap: Who Can Solve the Puzzle That Is Dominick Cruz?

As a UFC world champion,

Dominick Cruz is in very elite company. He is the undisputed king of the world at 135 pounds and is showing no signs of slowing down. However, with his win last Saturday night over former featherweight champion Urijah Faber, Cruz has ascended to another level that only a handful of fighters have reached.

Dominick Cruz has beaten every single fighter he has ever fought.

With his win over Faber, Cruz avenged the only loss of his career. After his loss to Faber for the WEC 145 pound strap, “The Dominator” dropped down to bantamweight and lived up to his nickname. He is undefeated at 135 and beat the only man to ever best him.

Saturday night’s victory was Cruz’s third straight title defense (including his WEC title defenses). He has also all but cleaned out the UFC bantamweight division. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at the top bantamweights in the world and compare them to Cruz’s record.

Let’s start with “The California Kid” himself. Urijah Faber was the long time WEC featherweight champion who recently dropped down to 135.

Victories over former bantamweight challenger Takeya Mizugaki and former champion Eddie Wineland—coupled with his past success at 145—elevated Faber into just about everybody’s top five list. Cruz successfully implanted the Five D’s of Dodgeball (dodge, duck, dip, dive, and…dodge) to earn a unanimous decision victory over the only man to ever beat him.

Whether a rematch is next has yet to be determined. Cruz and Faber put on a hell of a fight, and a third fight between these two rivals would be the biggest bantamweight in the UFC. If Cruz can beat Faber a second time, it will increase his stock more than a victory over any other fighter at 135.

Faber’s teammate is also one of Cruz’s victims. Joseph Benavidez has lost not only once, but twice to Cruz.

Benavidez burst into everyone’s top bantamweight list when he mangled and strangled longtime former champion Miguel Torres. Most “experts” rank Benavidez as high as number three on their top ten bantamweight list, which is just about where I rank him. Although he gave the champ two tough fights, he never could figure out the Cruz puzzle.

Brian Bowles may be next in line to fight for the title after his win over Mizugaki. Bowles has only lost once in his 11 fight career…to Dominick Cruz. Like Benavidez, Bowles’ career defining win came against Miguel Torres. He won the WEC Bantamweight title by being the only man to knock Torres out.

Bowles looked like a little moppy haired juggernaut until Dominick Cruz came in and put on a striking clinic. The skill level between the two was chasms wide, and Bowles became the only person Cruz has ever stopped at 135.

Scott Jorgenson is also a top ten ranked fighter in the division who Cruz has dismantled. Jorgenson held a WEC record of 7-2 and was thought to be a worthy competitor when he challenged Cruz last December.

The talented wrestler from Boise State had zero success in the take-down department, and instead got picked apart on his feet for the full 25 minutes. Cruz had Jorgenson swinging at air like he was an agent in The Matrix.

Even though he has earned a knock-out win since his UFC debut Cruz fight, it is hard picturing Scotty getting another title shot while Cruz is still the reigning king at 135.

The only other top ranked fighters who Cruz has not beaten are Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Miguel Torres and Brad “One Punch” Picket.

Mighty Mouse is the closest to securing a title shot, but he is currently nursing a broken leg.

Johnson has the speed to give Cruz trouble, but lacks the size and striking to be considered a serious threat.

Torres just lost to the aforementioned Johnson, but Miguel’s plodding striking is likely too slow to catch Cruz.

Picket is still rehabbing a back injury, but Scott Jorgenson gave him fits with wrestling when they last fought—and I don’t see why Cruz couldn’t do the same.

If Cruz can beat Johnson and Torres he will have effectively cleaned out all the top contenders at 135 pounds. Mighty Mouse could get the next title shot. If he does, Cruz will be one step closer to proving he deserves to belong in the same category as GSP and Anderson Silva.

But there is always one fighter who holds a dominant champion’s kryptonite. Shogun laid out the blueprint to beat the undefeated Machida. Werdum and Bigfoot stole the legendary Fedor’s aura of invincibility. And Chael Sonnen (almost) dethroned the most dominant UFC champion ever.

There is always someone better, I just don’t know if that someone is in the bantamweight division.