Victorious Cruz Eying Rematch with Faber

Dominick Cruz file photo | Sherdog.com

They call him “The Dominator” for a reason.

WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz further staked his claim as the top 135 pounder on the planet with a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Scott Jorgensen in the co-main event of WEC 53 at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Ariz.

Jorgensen had nothing for the elusive champion, as Cruz peppered his foe with crisp punches and kicks interspersed by textbook takedowns.

“Something that I’ve worked very hard on is mixing up combinations. Something you can't account for when you get in there with me is speed and movement,” said Cruz after his bout. “Everybody says they're going to cut the cage off and out-wrestle me, but when you get in there and actually feel the speed, the power and the movement, it's a different story. That's not me bragging. That's just the way it is.”

Though the 25-year-old lived up to his moniker in the fight, the once-beaten Cruz still sees room for improvement.

“I dominated the fight like I wanted to, but I didn't get the finish. I’m always going to be disappointed in myself until I get that,” said Cruz. “I dropped him, I head-kicked him, I kneed him in the head. I was looking for it, but these guys are tough. [Finishing opponents] is the next step in my game to grow and get to the next level.”

The champion put the pedal to the metal from the opening round and wouldn't let up, using his trademark style to bewilder and frustrate his opponent. When asked about his impressive conditioning at the post-fight news conference, Cruz responded with his tongue in his cheek.

“My coach runs behind me with a car for miles, and I have no choice but to run or get run over,” joked the smiling champion. “Nah, just kidding. I just train really hard. I go through a 10-week camp. Everything I do is balls to the wall. I put my heart and soul into every training camp. I give 110 percent of myself for my entire camp, and I eat, sleep and breathe MMA.”

With his victory over Jorgensen, Cruz will not only forever go down as the WEC titleholder, but he will also enter the record books as the first-ever UFC bantamweight king.

“I'm kind of speechless. It hasn't really set in yet. I’m just pretty stoked. That's about all I can say,” confessed Cruz. “It's a surreal moment. It was something I dreamed about when I was coming up. When I was 19 years old, I was dreaming of being in the UFC. Thank God for the WEC, so I didn't have to fight those monsters at 155. This is a dream come true.”

Regarding the future, it's no secret that Cruz is campaigning for a rematch with Urijah Faber, the only man to ever best the Alliance MMA product. At Thursday's post-fight presser, Cruz reiterated his wish to once again enter the cage with “The California Kid.”

“I have no excuses. He beat me fair and square, but it's been three years. I’m a different fighter,” said Cruz. “I just know I’m on a different level than him.”

When the topic of coaching against Faber in the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was brought up, Cruz didn't hesitate to express his desire to participate, even asserting that he might forgo hand surgery to coach opposite his rival.

“I've gone into my last two fights with a hand injury that needs to be addressed. It's something that is just going to get worse if I don't get it taken care of,” said Cruz. “But it would be awesome to get my loss back. With an opportunity like that, I might have to [fight] with my hand [injured] again. But I'll get it checked, and I'll take it stride by stride. I want what's best for the longevity of my career.”

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Voelker Avenges Loss to Bowling; Johnson, Evangelista Victorious

FRESNO, Calif. -- Bobby Voelker evened the score with Roger Bowling on Saturday night, and this time around, the verdict carried with it no controversy.

Voelker pounded out a TKO victory in the main event of Strikeforce Challengers 11 at the Save Mart Center. The end came at 3:58 of the second round, as Voelker avenged his contentious technical decision loss to the Team Vision product at Challengers 8 in May.

Bowling came out aggressive in the first, but presented little offense that put his opponent in any real danger. Midway through the second, it was obvious that Bowling was tired and hurt after absorbing several shots. Voelker turned it up, taking top position and unloading until the referee stepped in to rescue the battered Bowling.

In the pair's first meeting, the Finney's MMA fighter caught Bowling with an accidental eye poke in the third round that prevented his then-undefeated opponent from finishing the fight. The match went to the incomplete scorecards, and Bowling was awarded a unanimous technical decision.

Lavar "Big" Johnson had little trouble knocking out Virgil Zwicker in the first round of the co-main event. Johnson came out measuring “Rezdog” with his left jab, looking to set up a hard right. Zwicker was game, however, dropping his hands at one point and taunting his much larger opponent. It did not take Johnson long to find his range, stunning Zwicker and pushing him against the fence with wild power punches. The American Kickboxing Academy product finally landed the uppercut he was looking for, and Zwicker crumpled to the canvas. Knowing the fight was finished, Johnson walked away, even before the official stoppage at 2:17.

Evangelista vs. Spiritwolf Hometown favorite Billy Evangelista kept his undefeated record intact with a tough decision win over a game but outmatched Waachiim Spiritwolf. Spiritwolf came out strong, dropping Evagelista with a right hook just after the opening bell. Evangelista went immediately into survival mode, hanging on and trying to recover. He did just that, bouncing back and controlling the pace of the action-packed contest.

Spiritwolf proved to have an amazing chin, walking through knees and head kicks, all the while winging wild punches that would occasionally catch Evangelista cleanly. But Evangelista stuffed multiple takedown attempts and kept the pressure on his game opponent.

The final round was as exciting as fights get. Evangelista stalked a wobbly Spiritwolf around the cage, and both fighters let loose, swinging with everything they had. The crowd came to life, roaring with deafening approval. In the end, all three judges scored the fight for Evangelista: 30-27 (twice) and 29-28.

Debuting Muay Thai-turned-MMA fighter Julia Budd put an end to Shana Olsen’s undefeated streak, dominating her more experienced opponent from start to finish. Budd used her range and takedown defense en route to a second-round TKO victory.

Budd showed her inexperience early, losing a point for landing an illegal elbow, but Olsen couldn't capitalize, never truly finding her pace. Budd landed on top during a scramble, transitioned to mount and kept the pressure on Olsen until the referee intervened at 2:51 of round two.

John Devine had little trouble with local fighter Brandon Cash, submitting the striker via rear-naked choke in the first round. Devine turned it into a wrestling match, avoiding Cash’s power by staying clinched. The wrestler took Cash’s back several times, flattening him out and sinking in the choke at 3:05 of round one.

David Douglas pulled off an impressive come-from-behind victory over local fighter Dominic Clark in the night’s first bout. Clark dominated the first round, but Douglas found his range in the second and dropped Clark with a clean right. Douglas followed his stunned opponent down and pounded away until the ref stepped in at 2:33.

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