Cruz and Jorgensen Eyeing History
After an improbable & world-changing 17-year run in the fight biz, the UFC is finally set to crown its first bantamweight champ. The historic honor, & a sparkling new UFC belt, will go to the winner of Thursday night’s battle between Dominick Cruz & challenger Scott Jorgensen at WEC 53 in Glendale, Ariz. The 25-year-old Cruz, who previously lived & trained in Arizona for a time, feels like a man of destiny. “I’ve been put in this position for a reason,” said the reigning WEC titleholder, making his second defense of the belt he won in March from Brian Bowles. “God has blessed me with this position to make history. None of this happened by accident. I’m excited that we’re coming over to the UFC & we get to be the very first guys that have ever fought in this division. It’s just an awesome feeling & I think it’s definitely going to be like a legacy that we’ve all started.” In weighing the gravity of his present situation, Cruz (16-1) alluded to legendary pioneers such as Randy Couture & Royce Gracie & “all those guys that started the UFC.” “Well, in a sense that’s kind of a way a lot of us guys have done for the 135- pound division,” Cruz continued. “We’ve kind of jump-started it & set the bar for everybody else who’s here to follow. So I’m just pumped that God has blessed me with these opportunities.” Standing in Cruz’s way is a former Division I wrestling standout that has skyrocketed up the bantamweight rankings since dropping his WEC debut to Damacio Page nearly 3 years ago. Jorgensen (11-3) credits the loss to Page as the turning point in his career, & has caught fire since by overwhelming seven of his last eight foes. The lone setback during that span – via split decision to Antonio Banuelos – was a contest many believed Jorgensen actually won. Fighting out of Boise, Idaho, Jorgensen has raised eyebrows with a rapidly-improving standup arsenal. He has stood & banged for extended periods of time against Banuelos (twice), Brad Pickett, Takeya Mizugaki & Kenji Osawa, & has never been outclassed in that realm, to the surprise of many. In fact, Jorgensen usually lands the more damaging punches on his feet, & his guillotine choke is downright wicked, making him even more dangerous. But does he have what it takes to dethrone Cruz, who has won seven straight largely by mystifying his opponents, almost toying with them, with his speedy & elusive style of dancing around the cage, landing combos & then darting out of harm’s way? “Dominick, he’s a champ, you know?” Jorgensen said. “He finds a way to win. But his style to me is just – he moves a lot & he’s very mobile but I feel it’s a very defensive style. You know, he uses his strikes to set up his movement & his movement to set up his strikes & in both ways he tries to stay out of big exchanges. He tries to land quickly & get out but I don’t feel like they’re very effective strikes. You know, they’re scoring points but they don’t hurt.
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Cruz & Jorgensen Eyeing History
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