Tonight, Scott Jorgensen will step into hostile territory with a chance to become the first-ever UFC bantamweight champion.
Jorgensen will try to wrest the WEC's bantamweight title away from 135-pound king Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of WEC 53, going down at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz. Fighting out of Boise, Idaho, “Young Guns” will have to overcome not only the Arizona-born Cruz, but also the champion's home-field advantage.
“I don't care where [the fight] is at. I love to play spoiler. All through college, I wrestled in other home towns and home schools,” said the Boise State University alum on last week's pre-fight conference call. “But I like Arizona. I won my first Pac-10 title there. I love to compete, and it doesn't matter where. I’m just going in with a focused mind. It doesn't matter who's cheering for me and who's not.”
Whoever wins the confrontation on Thursday will be immediately crowned the new UFC bantamweight champion. As the WEC talent pool is absorbed by its sister company, Jorgensen believes his WEC brethren will raise the bar in the big show.
“We've proven that we're the most exciting fighters world. In the way Pride [Fighting Championships] lives on, we're doing the same thing. We'll take a little WEC into the UFC with the way we fight,” said Jorgensen. “We're going to open the eyes of the people who have never seen us fight, and we're going to change the landscape of the game. We're going to be stealing bonuses. You're going to see a lot more dynamic finishes and fast-paced fights. It's going to be great for the fans, and the UFC is going to be a better organization because of us.”
Regarding his opponent, Jorgensen seems ambivalent. Though the 28-year-old recognizes Cruz's ability in the cage, he's not exactly impressed with the way the champion goes about his business.
“Dominick is the champ. He finds ways to win, but his style is very defensive. He uses his striking to set up his movement. He tries to stay out of big exchanges. He tries to land quick and get out,” said Jorgensen. “But I don't think they're very effective strikes. They score points but they don't hurt. They don't sit people down. I move forward, and I know how to cut the cage off and put pressure on guys. I’m in better shape than anybody I fight, and I get better as fight goes on.”
Thursday marks the WEC's last-ever event. For Jorgensen, it will be his 10th and final trip inside the little blue cage. Though the Idaho native started his promotional career just 2-2, he has since gone undefeated leading up to the biggest fight of his career.
“I learned valuable lessons [from my WEC losses]. My loss to Damacio [Page] changed the way I look at the sport and the way I compete. I used to be focused less on me and more on them. Now I don't care who I fight,” he said. “What matters is what I have in my arsenal -- my style, my technique, my control. It's a style that really works for me, putting on a show and trying to hurt my opponent.”
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