Issue 110

January 2014

It’s the long-overdue battle for the undisputed world bantamweight championship – when only one will be left with UFC gold

Despite being indisputably the sport’s leading promotion, one thing the UFC never seems to quite get right is the concept of an ‘interim’ champion. Simply, there are no clear, transparent rules on how long a title-holder must be absent before a pair of top contenders are set up to fight for what Brock Lesnar described (when Shane Carwin held the interim heavyweight title) as a ‘make-believe’ belt. 

UFC interim championships have a long and messy history – contract disputes, supposed retirements, life-threatening illnesses, training injuries and simple promotional expediency have all led to the creation of dual, simultaneous champions. But none of these sagas have gone on quite as long as that of Dominick Cruz and his knee. 

Let’s all pray that the UFC bantamweight title picture is finally settled when Cruz returns to the Octagon with the unenviable task of fighting Renan Barao on February 1st. 

The immensely talented Cruz saw his WEC title upgraded to UFC status with the arrival of the 135lb division on the sport’s biggest of stages and his irrefutable decision win over Scott Jorgenson at the final WEC event in December 2010. Cruz made the second successful defense of his WEC belt and was awarded the newly minted UFC version in what remains, technically, the only time a UFC championship was determined on a show run by a different organization. 

With his speed (both hand and foot), his jab, his defensive genius and an always-full gas tank, Cruz’s brand of in-out kickboxing and counter-striking may not be every fan’s favorite style of combat, but it’s earned him a 19-1 record, championship glory and a very high ranking in any reputable pound-for-pound listing.

Sadly for Cruz, and those who appreciate his clinical, technical style, came the news that, in the midst of his coaching stint on the experimental Ultimate Fighter: Live in May 2012, he was forced to pull out of his scheduled rubber match with opposing coach and old foe Urijah Faber. Citing an ACL torn in training, Cruz was expected to be on the shelf for a while so instead Faber (the only man to ever beat him) took on the fearsome Barao for the interim title. 

As many in the industry but perhaps few fans expected, Faber was outclassed and punished from the outset, but stubbornly clung on to survive the full five rounds. Since then, Barao, who combines excellent takedown defense with ferocious, accurate leg kicks, precise, fast and hurtful punching with dangerous submissions (his rear naked choke on Brad Pickett was a thing of beauty), has made two defenses of his interim title, the same number as Cruz made of the ‘real’ championship. 

The Brazilian, armed with a fearsome 33-1 (1 NC) record, dominated Michael McDonald (UFC on Fuel TV 7), choking him out late in the fourth and most recently finished Eddie Wineland (UFC 165) with a spinning kick to the head and punches on the ground. 

There are some huge questions surrounding Cruz’s return, which will be almost 29 months since he beat now-flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson by a clear, impressive decision. Things have been delayed so long because his body rejected the replacement ACL and he had to go through the procedure all over again. Come fight time there are more than a couple of questions that will be answered when the first round begins.

How rusty will he be after so long away? How will his new knee hold up through a serious training camp and what is likely to be a long, potentially very punishing fight? Will he have to adjust his movement-based style to accommodate a less flexible, durable knee? How will that affect his game plan and his confidence?

And, even if he aces all of those queries with flying colors, even more important is: how will even a 100% Cruz fare against Barao, a fighter who, career-threatening knee injury or not, would have been the biggest test of his title reign to begin with? 

It’s hard to imagine a tougher comeback for Cruz – or a more intriguing one.