Urijah Faber entered the Octagon at UFC 132 expecting to walk out of it a little bit heavier than the 135-pound bantamweight limit… courtesy of a golden UFC title belt.
Faber was granted the shot at the belt around current champion Dominick Cruz’s waist by winning back-to-back bouts after dropping down from featherweight. He bested both Takeya Mizugaki and Eddie Wineland, and after 25 minutes on Saturday night in Las Vegas, thought he may have done enough to get the win.
The judges, however, saw it differently, giving the nod to Cruz after the two went toe-to-toe for all five rounds. Cruz was quicker, landing more shots, and scoring some surprising takedowns, while Faber edged out the power striking category.
In the end, UFC brass awarded Cruz and Faber “Fight of the Night” honors, each taking home an additional $75,000 bonus check.
Check out what Faber had to say about the fight, and his grudge with Cruz.