It’s the third bout between UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber at UFC 199. Faber won the first, Cruz defeated Urijah in the second, and this is the official tiebreaker. This is also the second time the championship is on the line and let’s be honest here, Faber doesn’t fare well in UFC title bouts. He is 0-3 in his attempts to get UFC gold around his waist, but this time many are saying it may be his time. Here are five things Urijah Faber must do to prove them right.
Give Cruz some credit
Every time Faber brings up Dominick Cruz he speaks about him like he is unworthy to face him. Sure, fighters need to be confident and they need to believe they are the best, but come on Faber. Cruz is the real deal so acknowledge it. Cockiness is Urijah’s Achilles heel when it comes to facing champions and Cruz is not one to underestimate.
Play your own game
Cruz is frustrating, like Machida frustrating for fighters. He moves in odd ways, shucks when he should jive, and generally is hard to hit. Wait, did I just type shucks when he should jive? Forgive me, let’s move on. Faber needs to frustrate Cruz and make him play his game instead. If he were to do this, halfway through the third round he would begin to break Dominick and probably finish him. He can’t just rush him like he has in the past.
Connect the dots
Faber needs to land strikes and land often. Cruz is tough and doesn’t like to get hit. No one does really when it comes down to it, but that’s the name of the game to not get hit. Maybe saying he doesn’t like to get hit isn’t a fair statement… Urijah needs to be there before Cruz when the champion moves and have a heavy hook waiting for him.
Hold him down
Cruz is a cardio machine and may have just a little more in the tank than Urijah. To counter this, Faber needs to use his ridiculous strength to manhandle him on the ground. He needs to wear him down and keep the pressure on him. Dominick needs to fear the takedown and be cautious of it every time he does anything.
Under pressure
Once Dominick is looking over his shoulder for a sneaky takedown, Faber needs to be relentless and control where Cruz can escape to. Every fighter struggles when their opponent dictates where the fight takes place, especially when they are tired. If Faber wants a belt around his waist he needs to make Dominick very uncomfortable and have him dreading coming out for the later rounds.
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