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If your first thought after learning that Dominick Cruz tore an anterior cruciate ligament was anything like mine, then you've wondered whether or not a fighter who made his name off speed and movement is in danger of stumbling back to the pack.

It will be a year before we know the answer to that important question. In the meantime, Cruz's division apparently must march forward, which means Zuffa booked an interim bantamweight title fight between Urijah Faber and a to-be-determined opponent.

As is usually the case, the creation of a belt and a stand-in champion isn't needed. It's especially less so considering Faber fights on July 7, when most of the prefight coverage is expected to zero in on Silva-Sonnen 2. A healthy Cruz against his rival Faber, both off the reality show, wouldn't have generated a ton of interest considering the circumstances. So why push a fake belt? I don't get it.

At best, Faber versus TBD is a worthy No. 1 contender fight. And that's not so terrible. There are bouts at 135 pounds for Faber that line up to be terrific contests.

Renan Barao, ranked third at 135, is the obvious choice. Zuffa can break up his match against Ivan Menjivar, serendipitously scheduled for July 7, and it wouldn't upset too many people. If not the Brazilian, then an argument can be made to slot in 21-year-old Michael McDonald. I think that's the wrong way to go for the youngster, but it would be a fight with intriguing possibilities.

No matter how it pans out, hopefully Cruz makes a full recovery. It would be a shame to see someone who’s worked so hard, has so much potential, and hasn’t yet cashed in, take a knock that permanently changed the way he fights.

Is Koch ready?

Two weeks after what promises to be an epic UFC event in Las Vegas, Erik Koch’s title challenge July 21 in Calgary against featherweight champion Jose Aldo will feel small; maybe like it’s not even happening.

Depending on the outcome, of course, the 23-year-old Koch may wish it hadn’t. Then again, he wouldn’t be the first kid to come out of nowhere and pull off something many of us felt was impossible. And let’s be real here, there are few things in MMA more difficult to do than defeating Jose Aldo.

I thought it interesting that Hatsu Hioki, who based on his résumé is as ready to fight Aldo as any fighter in the world, has decided to take his time. Rather than jump at the chance to fight Aldo, Hioki meets Ricardo Lamas in a preliminary bout in June. The decision confused me, and it left the door open for Koch.

The first thing to notice when looking at Koch’s record, which is nowhere as good as Hioki’s, is his level of competition. He’s fought scrappy guys that helped make him look good. That’s not Aldo. Aldo is an offensive machine. I have the feeling Koch is in big trouble here.

Ratings ebb and flow

Somewhere between a heavyweight championship attraction and a card filled with scrappers is the truth when it comes to UFC ratings on Fox.

The number of households that tuned into Saturday’s network event, headlined by Nate Diaz and Jim Miller, plummeted compared to the previous two fight nights, but attempting to extrapolate what that means for future cards is risky business.

The May 5 card averaged 2.4 million viewers, a drop off of more than 50 percent from the first offering in November (5.7 million viewers), and this January (4.7 million). There were plenty of things to do Saturday, including a bevy of sports-watching options, not the least of which was Floyd Mayweather fighting Miguel Cotto on pay-per-view.

The UFC should regard the 2.4 million number as a baseline, the minimum number of viewers that will tune in to a Fox card. Considering the disappointment (and some have called it that) of Junior dos Santos’s early knockout against Cain Velasquez, and the decision-heavy second offering headlined by a five-round snoozer between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis, if people tuned in to watch a card without any star power and/or title fights they’re likely the most passionate watchers out of the casual group.

UFC’s third event on Fox was its most typical: just a solid lineup of action and good MMA. Had the evening gone another way, then there might be something to really worry about for Zuffa. But the bottom line is fighters performed and viewers likely felt as if the experience was worth doing again on Aug. 4.

Weekend viewing options

Zuffa is off until a Tuesday night fight card featuring Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung, but that only opens the space up for multiple promoters. (By the way, with Hioki bowing out, the winner of this fight would have been my pick to face Aldo at UFC 149.)

May 10: Former Bellator featherweight champion Joe Soto has dropped to 135 and will fight for a respected regional title when he takes on Chad George at Tachi Palace Fights 13. The card streams on Sherdog.com

May 11: Speaking of ratings, Bellator and MTV2 earned an increase with the return of Michael Chandler on Friday. That’s a great sign for the lightweight titleholder. This week, Bellator heads to Atlantic City. Featherweights Marlon Sandro and Daniel Straus fight for the fight to get next crack at the 145-pound title after Patricio Freire. Should be a competitive fight.

On HDNet, Legacy Fighting Championship 11 from Houston features a mix of prospects and veterans. If you caught my podcast this week, you heard the interview with Chad Robichaux. The decorated special forces veteran, making his flyweight debut against Joseph Sandoval, has formed a non-profit -- Mighty Oaks Foundation -- to aid military personal stricken with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

We've already noted that Dominick Cruz was the only guy to truly capitalize on the new live format of "The Ultimate Fighter" this season. Now, it appears he could become a test case for how the show responds to real, actual drama.

UFC President Dana White confirmed via Twitter on Monday afternoon that the reigning bantamweight champion suffered a torn ACL while filming “TUF Live.” The obvious result is, Cruz’s upcoming grudge match against opposing coach Urijah Faber is off the UFC 148 card and the future of the 135 pound title, the division’s first real rivalry and perhaps even Cruz’s gig on the show are all in doubt.

So, yeah, pretty much the biggest bummer imaginable for TUF’s first run on FX, which was already fetching disappointing ratings.

“Sorry to all the fans out there!” Cruz tweeted after news of his injury broke. “I WILL recover and I WILL be back to put on a show!”

If there’s any upside at all to this, it’s that now we might get to see how “TUF Live” responds to genuine adversity.

The cancellation of Cruz-Faber marks the third time in the show’s last five seasons that some calamity has befallen a proposed fight between the coaches, but Cruz is the first coach to suffer a major injury during filming. Given this season’s revamped format -- episodes are shot during the week, edited, then aired on Friday along with a live contestant fight -- that could make this week’s installment the most interesting episode of “The Ultimate Fighter” in quite some time. Maybe ever.

If Cruz’s injury occurred at the TUF training center, if footage exists of it, we’ll all be curious to see how showrunners decide to play it. Considering the high probability that a Cruz injury would also throw the show and the UFC’s planning into utter chaos behind-the-scenes, let’s hope they give us a quality dose of that action as well.

The smartest way for the show to handle the situation would be to show the impact of Cruz’s injury not only on the fighter himself, the TUF contestants and his prospective opponent, but to also show how matchmakers and UFC brass respond to it. Show us the discussions of what to do with Cruz’s coaching spot. Show us the efforts to find a replacement for him to fight Faber and UFC 148.

There is already talk of setting Faber up with an interim title bout against Renan Barao, who was scheduled to take on Ivan Menjivar on the UFC 148 preliminaries anyway. A majority of MMA fans probably think that’s the right thing to do -- best that the fledgling bantamweight division avoids delays and stagnation at all costs -- but it’d be interesting to see footage of how the UFC eventually comes around to the decision of how to handle this unfortunate situation.

That would necessarily give this episode of "TUF Live" a different feel and would be appointment viewing for most MMA fans. It might also give the show the kind of ratings boost it’s been looking for all along.

LAS VEGAS -- Dominick Cruz says that he and Urijah Faber have learned to “tolerate each other” after 13 weeks of filming "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series.

That might be a good thing because the fact is, both believe there’s a real decent chance this rivalry isn’t finished yet.

Cruz and Faber will meet in the cage for the third time this summer at UFC 148, with the 135-pound title on the line. Typically, when it comes to combat sports, a trilogy is pretty much the finish line. Regardless of how terrific three fights might be, asking fans to get behind a fourth between the same two fighters is a tough sell.

That’s a scenario, however, the UFC may have to deal with in coming years. Cruz, the champion, is 26 and breezing through every opponent with the exception of Faber.

Likewise, Faber, 32, has established himself as the clear No. 2 in the division. As UFC middleweight Chael Sonnen put it, sometimes it just so happens there are two equally dominant fighters atop a weight class instead of one.

“These are the two best guys,” Sonnen said. “Sometimes you’ll have rankings where the top two guys are fighting and the No. 2 guy gets beat and he falls to No. 9 and you’re like, “Woah. How’s that work?’”

So, even after all that’s happened -- the initial feud sparked by Cruz signing over Faber’s head on posters during an autograph signing, Faber’s guillotine, Cruz’s revenge, a reality show and (still to come) the trilogy match in Las Vegas -- is it possible that won’t be the end for these two?

“Normally, when there is some sort of confrontation, it blows over,” Faber said. “I don’t see this blowing over for awhile because I’m not going anywhere. I feel young. I don’t live a crazy lifestyle and I’ve been fed the healthiest stuff on the planet since I was in the womb.

“I’m confident. I’m getting better. We’re going to be fighting for the same spot for a long time.”

It’s not like there are no other fighters coming for that same spot Faber’s referring to. Brazilian fighter Renan Barao is 25 and undefeated in his last 29 fights. Michael McDonald is perhaps the hottest prospect in the sport at 21 years old.

Even with those guys coming up, though, it’s obvious that in addition to the animosity Cruz and Faber feel for one another they share a heavy amount of mutual respect.

Neither one seems confident that July 7 will be the day they finally get rid of the other.

“I still have a long, long career left,” Cruz said. “I don’t know how much he’s got left. If we’ve got 10 more fights to go to keep building the 135-pound division, it’s really not that hard for me to punch him.

“Rivalries make everyone better. That’s just the bottom line. Regardless of what a dummy he is, this rivalry has made me a better man and I’m still learning from it.”

NEW YORK -- For as stacked as the UFC 146 card appears for Memorial Day weekend, it’s really two title fights (Urijah Faber/Dominick Cruz and Chael Sonnen/Anderson Silva) and a pack of glitzy non-consequential match-ups (Cung Le/Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin/Tito Ortiz).

Not so for New Jersey and this weekend’s free UFC on FOX 3 card. No belts will change hands, but situations are in play. Complicated situations. Theoretical ones. Titles dangling in the balance, right there for some and just out of reach for others. And there is, of course, much obfuscation.

For example: If Nate Diaz capitalizes on his broadcast television main event and downs Jim Miller, he is essentially guaranteed a title shot at 155 pounds. However, with Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar fighting for the title in August, that shot might come in a wintry month like December. That’s a long time to wait for a guy who A.) fights for money, B.) likes fighting and C.) has a nice head of momentum. When asked if he’d wait in that situation at Thursday’s news conference, Diaz said simply, “I have a fight on Saturday.”

This drew a New York cheer. Diaz, for all his volume in punching, is a man of few words.

If Jim Miller beats Diaz, on the other hand, he isn’t guaranteed anything. Rather, he is guaranteed to be cheering for Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 when Edgar fights Henderson, because in that case Miller would potentially get to fight Edgar (his erstwhile training partner/friend).

Got it?

Here’s what Miller had to say when asked if he’s confused by Diaz getting a title shot with a win (even though he’s 3-3 in his last six lightweight bouts) while he (10-2 as a lightweight in the UFC) won’t necessarily:

“You know, honestly, it doesn’t matter to me right now. I’ve got a fight in two days, and that’s where my focus is. From doing that [10-2 record] and having that seven-win stretch and dealing with the rematches in this division, it really cemented that things change -- and things happen. So I’m not going to sit here and try and predict what’ll happen with a win or with a loss. I’m just focused on the fight itself, and after that, then it’s time to speculate about the next fight.”

If he won’t speculate, we sure will, and we’ll add a name to the mix: Anthony Pettis.

Pettis, who is a quasi-No. 1 contender, will be coming back to full health some time in the summer. Logic would say that the winner of Diaz/Miller will end up fighting Pettis to establish a true No. 1 contender, while Henderson/Edgar II plays out.

Meanwhile, the co-main event has its own wild set of conditions. Should Johny Hendricks beat Josh Koscheck, he is the No. 1 contender for a title fight. Problem is, once again, that Georges St. Pierre and Carlos Condit are likely fighting in November to settle up the permanent and interim belts. There’s no way that Hendricks will want to wait for that to play out for a spring 2013 title fight.

Yet if Koscheck wins, he will have to pull for Condit to beat St. Pierre to have a word in the title conversation.

Confused? You should be. If we learned anything from the final prefight news conference, it’s this -- the UFC doesn’t want repetition. Koscheck/St. Pierre and Henderson/Miller happened too soon ago to happen again. The UFC craves new blood.

It’s the most complicated contender-type card that ever was, and it’s going down Saturday night in New Jersey.

First UFC "super fight" in January?

In the post news conference scrum, a media member asked Dana White about a potential fight card at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, a venue which can hold 100,000 people.

White said all that flirtation about holding an event there was not only real, but is a serious possibility. He also alluded to a big January card that could potentially be so massive.

“We’re always looking for a potential big fight,” White said. “We’ve always wanted to do a fight, and we’ve been talking to [Jerry] Jones and his crew about doing a fight down in Dallas Cowboys Stadium, but we need a fight big enough to do it. The last fight that I was going to try and make there was Brock [Lesnar] and Fedor [Emelianenko].”

There is potentially a fight out there that’s big enough.

Running through the timelines of “super fight” candidates for a place like Dallas Cowboys Stadium, or a second event at the Rogers Centre in Toronto (or at the old, reliable stand-by in Las Vegas), one could envision a Jon Jones/Anderson Silva match-up at least being discussed.

Think about it. If Jones beats Dan Henderson in September, that would be four months ahead of January -- perfect for the turn around. Anderson Silva fights in July. Should be beat Chael Sonnen for his record 10th title defense, there would be only one way to raise the ante -- and it wouldn’t be to take on Mark Munoz or Hector Lombard.

It would be to fight Jones, who’d have tidied his own division up just in time. Is that what the UFC has in mind?

“I don’t know,” White said. “We’ll see what happens. We’ll see what we end up putting together.”

New York state of mind

By now, everyone knows about the MMA ban in New York, even as we make our way through open-minded 2012. This is why the UFC dangles its product just across the Hudson River -- to reinforce that all notions of “human cockfighting” are antiquated and hyperbolic. Whether the sport hasn’t been sanctioned in the Empire State is about “gangsters” in the Culinary Union (as Dana White says) or something less ominous, it depends on whom you talk to.

But when MMA does finally get legalized in New York, the UFC plans on doing it big.

“When we finally do break through and do a big event here, I think the event at Madison Square Garden that we do will be huge, and it’s be a great time to pull off a Fan Expo here in New York,” White said. “I think it would be huge.”

In the meantime, those in New York who want to catch MMA in a live setting must go underground. Or, underwater. For MMA, there’s light at the end of the Lincoln Tunnel, across the way in East Rutherford, N.J., where the UFC will once again mock New York with the one thing it doesn’t have.

With Chael Sonnen’s rematch against Anderson Silva now migrating from Brazil to Las Vegas, UFC 148 becomes the Miami Heat of fight cards. It is stacked, stuffed, loaded and insane.

And let’s face it, this annually huge Vegas card had a pot of gold drop in its lap: Sonnen/Silva II is already a big enough fight to tune in. The UFC could have booked Yoislandy Izquierdo against T.J. Grant as the co-main and things would still have been fine on July 7.

But the UFC’s July 4 weekend is all Roman candles and Saturn missiles, and it’s quickly become a countdown of matchmaking franchises. Aside from Sonnen/Silva II, there’s Urijah Faber versus Dominick Cruz III, Forrest Griffin versus Tito Ortiz II, Cung Le versus Rich Franklin I. All told, there are two belts in play, a swan song or a UFC pioneer, and a return to middleweight for the former champion Franklin, who is 100 percent guaranteed to put on a features-contorting brawl.

If that weren’t enough, Demian Maia will see how he holds up against human Velcro, Dong Hyun Kim, in his welterweight debut.

To Vegas go all the spoils.

To far off Calgary in the north, just two weeks later on July 21? Smartly, Tim Boetsch and Michael Bisping.

What was meant to happen in Vegas isn’t staying there -- Boetsch and Bisping, a big intrigue pairing of middleweights that was originally slated for UFC 148, is now headed for UFC 149 in Alberta. And this is ultimately a good move by the UFC. Why lose a contender’s type bout to a thousand bunched-up storylines at UFC 148 while peripheral PPV cards -- UFC 147 and UFC 149 -- could use the additional heft?

When the first question out of people’s mouths is nearly always “what’s next,” the guys chasing Sonnen/Silva are pretty important to the scheme of things. In the fight game we’re dealing in tapestries. The newly resurrected Tim Boetsch and the MMA’s “forever contender” Michael Bisping will get a better shake at the Saddledome behind headliners Jose Aldo and Erik Koch. Let Sonnen/Silva play out, and this fight takes on more significance. It’s our duty to talk, after all, and to invent the stakes while playing at what’s in Joe Silva’s head.

And right now, a lot of people more readily recall Boetsch losing by “Philmura” against Phil Davis instead of him storming back against Yushin Okami at UFC 144. If he’s really closing on a title shot at 185 pounds, Boetsch could use the boost of a co-main event type spotlight. Right now he’s more journeyman than contender. He’s never been the recipient of Zuffa’s marketing machine. It’s time to gussy him up.

As for Bisping? He believes the same thing he’s been believed for years -- that he’s the hands down No. 1 contender. Obviously there’s still the matter of Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman out there, but Bisping might actually be on to something this time through. With unpredictable circumstances and injuries and schedule syncing and suspensions and all the things that get in the way in obvious matchmaking, the Briton really might be next in line.

Or he might not. But that we can care sufficiently enough to find out is lucky for him and Tim Boetsch. In this rare case it’s better to jump cards than end up lost in the shuffle.

There’s a danger in thinking out loud. And, at this point the UFC must realize this better than anybody.

For the past couple of months, Chael Sonnen was assuredly fighting Anderson Silva in Silva’s native Brazil, and the only thing left was to sort out the nagging details. Those details finally got in the way, and now the fight is headed for Las Vegas, which is a bit of crushing news for romantics.

Yet when you think about it, didn’t this thing always feel too good, too tantalizingly ominous to be true? The brazen American getting dropped into hostile territory in an attempt to take the belt from the company’s best-ever fighter? This was dramatic overload. It was the “Rumble in the Jungle” -- only it wouldn’t be held at a neutral site. This was Sonnen being lowered into a burbling cauldron. It was the odds being stacked so impossibly against him that the situation shared more in common with movies than reality (think “Rocky IV”).

And from the American perspective, the sweeteners were Sonnen’s motormouth in conjunction with the immensity of the setting. The event was targeted for Rio de Janeiro's Joao Havelange Stadium -- a.k.a. Engenhao -- which could feasibly hold a record number of people (between 60,000-80,000).

Sonnen was played up to be the man of risks -- the security risk with an overnight bag of asterisks. Bold enough to walk the plank. Silva was to be the deliverer of comeuppance. The rectifier. Fighting in Brazil for Brazil.

For the sport of MMA, it was history in the making, in a setting as big as their rivalry.

Only it didn’t get entirely made. The rematch is officially happening on July 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the “fight capital of Earth” as Sonnen says. Another way of looking at it is like this: Sonnen/Silva II is happening in a common setting on a big weekend of fights.

In a news conference yesterday from Rio de Janeiro, Dana White broke the news of the switch and explained the problems they had in securing a venue in Brazil. White, Silva and Sonnen showed up in person first and foremost to apologize, and second to redirect hype.

No doubt this whole thing is a bummer for the UFC, who sensed the historical value we’re talking about.

It’s disappointing to Calgary, the Canadian city that is likely losing featherweight champion Jose Aldo to fill the void at UFC 147.

It’s disappointing for Silva, who has fought an 11 times in the States, once in Canada, once in Abu Dhabi and once in Rio as a UFC employee. He is 14-0 in those fights, which means he doesn’t exactly have any big druthers. But his fifteenth fight -- and remember, every fight these days could be his last -- was meant to be epic. It was meant to shatter the UFC 129 attendance record -- in his native country.

None of that will happen now.

The good news is the fight is booked -- that’s the practical thing to remember. UFC 148 now looks like the most loaded card of the year, a card the promoters could easily dub as “Rivals” with all the continuations in play -- Sonnen/Silva II, Urijah Faber/Dominick Cruz III, Tito Ortiz/Forrest Griffin III. It’s a lot of sequels and trilogies in a city where whatever happens is meant to stay there. And that’s a little salt on the wound to Brazilians and romantics and any fan of "Mission: Impossible."

Yet plenty of people will like this switch. There’s a lot of foot traffic in Vegas come Memorial Day weekend, and this fight becomes accessible. The American media will rejoice because now they can attend without having to secure visas. This thing becomes a lot more convenient to cover.

But we weren’t dealing in conveniences; we were dealing in historic backdrops. We were dealing in extreme inconveniences, which is exactly why Sonnen-Silva II in Brazil was so alluring. The “Rumble in the Jungle” wouldn’t have been nearly as compelling as the “Fracas in Las Vegas.”

And it’s disappointing to wave good-bye to what could have been, especially knowing the magnitude of the thing that nearly was.

Three episodes into the new “live” incarnation of “The Ultimate Fighter”, the only truly memorable and unscripted moment so far has come thanks to UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.

As TUF made the jump from SpikeTV to the FX Network earlier this month to begin Season 15 of its extraordinary run, we were promised (or at least we assumed) sweeping changes.

A few of those have indeed come to pass. Live look-ins to the TUF training center now bookend the show’s traditional reality format, quarterbacked flawlessly by former ESPN host Jon Anik and the fights that cap each episode are aired as they happen. Changed as well was the tired new metal opening inviting us to “bear witness to the fitness of the modern warrior,” replaced by the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1989 cover of a 1973 Stevie Wonder song.

Not sure that choice makes things feel any fresher, but whatever; after all these years, the song still works.

Aside from a few tweaks though, TUF is about the same as it ever was. So too, unfortunately, are the ratings, which dipped to a reported 1.3 million viewers during its debut episode, down slightly from the 1.5 million who tuned in a season before. Ratings for episode two were down a bit more, to 1.1 million. Maybe this is to be expected as returning fans find their way across the television dial and new fans (of which, many are expected) take notice. To its credit, the UFC is not panicking. Far from it.

If the first trio of episodes proved anything, however, it’s that TUF’s live set-up won’t be enough to breathe new life into the flagging show on its own. Not without some help from the people involved.

To date, Cruz (who has been owning it at every turn in his capacity as coach opposite rival Urijah Faber) appears to be the only person to truly grasp the possibilities of TUF’s new format. And perhaps the UFC’s mischievous 135-pound champ did it without fully realizing it.

The moment came at the end of the season’s second episode when -- after seeing his team win the show's first live, two-round elimination bout via unexpected knockout -- Cruz put Team Faber on the spot by tabbing top pick Justin Lawrence to fight the following week and then inviting Faber to pick anybody he wanted to oppose him.

What followed was a supremely awkward half-minute or so, wherein a surprised Faber froze up, an annoyed UFC President Dana White reddened noticeably and nobody on Faber’s squad raised a hand when their coach finally resorted to asking if anybody wanted a piece of Lawrence. To put the icing on what was perhaps the greatest (probably unplanned) piece of sabotage in TUF history, every member of Team Faber found something really interesting to stare at on the floor and ceiling and off in the middle distance for the next few seconds.

Tick ... tick ... tick. Silence. Dead air. Crickets.

Everybody looked nervous, and White looked significantly cheesed off. Not only was Cruz shirking one of the show’s primary conventions -- that winning coaches retain “control” by getting to choose the following week’s fight matchup -- but here he was, yanking back the curtain to reveal everyone in all their sweaty, uneasy, I’m-on-live-TV-right-now glory. Finally, Faber and White insisted that Cruz pick, and he did.

It was, in a word, awesome. Certainly the most interesting few seconds we’ve seen on TUF in seasons. Maybe ever, and we have the show’s new live format to thank for it.

Well that, and Dominick Cruz.

Frankly, this is exactly what you want if you’re running the new, suddenly live season of TUF. Cruz went rogue, and in a moment of genuine and unexpected theater (one untouched by the hands of those meddling editors we’re always hearing about) created some actual, honest to goodness drama.

Too bad not a ton of people got to see it.

Too bad we can assume that showrunners probably told Cruz never to do it again, because it's uncomfortable, all-the-way-live moments like that one that might just save this series.

As anxious as the 32 contestants comprising this season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series were to kick off Friday’s premiere, there are another 80 or so fighters already employed by the UFC who were just as amped.

That’s referring to the promotion’s roster of bantamweights and featherweights, many of whom transferred to the Octagon in early 2011 following a merger between the UFC and WEC.

While a dedicated mixed martial arts fan will tell you it’s actually these lighter-weight classes that produce some of the best action, that revelation has not yet shown up in the UFC’s decision-making when it comes to constructing events.

Since the introduction of the 135- and 145-pound weight classes, a mere six bantamweight and nine featherweight fights have been placed on the main card portion of pay-per-view cards.

To put things in perspective, heavyweight fights on main cards equaled the total of those two weight classes during the same time span. In all, 135-pound fights made up just 6.1 percent of main card fights; 145-pound fights counted for 9.2 percent.

Those percentages fall lower when discussing headliners. Through 19 pay-per-view cards since the merger, only two -- UFC 132 and UFC 142 -- have been built around a lighter-weight class main event. Neither produced exceptionally good numbers, according to reports.

Again, the action is there. As UFC president Dana White puts it, “You’ve got to be dead to not like the lighter-weight classes.” In terms of marketability, however, these weight classes have not yet reached the casual fan.

With bantamweight stars Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz taking their rivalry to the “The Ultimate Fighter” in the series’ new live format on FX, there’s reason to think 2012 could see a significant spike in interest to those weight classes.

“I think that’s part of the reason we’ve been chosen for this position -- to bring a little bit of light to these weight divisions,” Cruz told ESPN.com.

“Me and Faber are good candidates for that. We speak well, we don’t like each other and we’re very competitive. I definitely see this helping out the 135 division and, in hand, it will help 145 and 125.”

The reality series has a history of producing more interest in its coaches than the contestants, especially in recent memory. The most notable example of that Season 10, which culminated in a light heavyweight fight between opposing coaches Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson at UFC 114, which reportedly drew more than one million buys.

As White says, the show provides a closer look at these guys as coaches -- even more so, in some cases, than a "UFC Primetime" or "UFC Countdown" show can.

With a built-in rivalry already existing between Faber and Cruz, the two have split two prior fights and will meet again in July, the show has the ingredients for a major draw -- one that will hopefully accelerate the growth of the entire division.

“

We speak well, we don't like each other and we're very competitive. I definitely see this helping out the 135[-pound] division and, in hand, it will help 145 and 125.

” -- Dominick Cruz, on why he and fellow TUF coach Urijah Faber will resonate with fans

“One hundred percent, this show is the biggest step so far,” Faber said. “It’s not that people don’t enjoy these weight classes, it’s just they haven’t been exposed to them yet.

“It needs something that peaks people’s interest and this is the fight to do that. I’ll be here doing my part, answering questions. I’m not the guy typically wanting to harp on something that’s not positive, but if they want to ask that question of why I don’t like the guy to let more people know, I’ll be here to tell it.”

This process of building the lighter-weight classes was, of course, expected to be just that -- a process.

Cruz, who has defended the belt twice in the UFC, says the divisions are actually rising faster than he anticipated. The fact the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter” on FX features bantamweight coaches will continue to push that.

“Of course, it could always be better,” Cruz said. “In a perfect situation, we’re all fighting for millions on pay-per-view. But it’s a newer weight class. It took over 10 years for the UFC to build where it is today and now it’s on that rocket. It’s not going to take 10 years for the lighter-weight classes to get that recognition.”

The conversation started in Saitama, Japan, where Frankie Edgar wondered, "What's right?"

Tuesday in New York, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White brought Edgar and his manager, Ali Abdel-Aziz, an answer.

Edgar would get what he wanted, a rematch sometime in August against Benson Henderson for the UFC lightweight title.

What's right? The former champion happily learned: Zuffa’s decision making.

As much as White reiterated that he’d like Edgar to drop 10 pounds and fight Jose Aldo, the timing just isn't right. Edgar sees himself at lightweight. How could he not? He defeated B.J. Penn twice. He avenged his only loss, knocking out the bigger, stronger Gray Maynard. "The Answer" said Henderson wasn't overpowering at 155 pounds, too.

The Edgar camp is angling for a pay-per-view attraction somewhere in the U.S. but nothing has been finalized. According to Aziz, Edgar's uptick in popularity could influence the PPV discussion.

In the week and a half since judges scored the title bout unanimously for Henderson, Edgar more than doubled his following on Twitter to nearly 160,000. It probably helped that during the Daytona 500, FOX debuted a national commercial featuring Edgar choke out a tiger before taking it home with him -- just a typical afternoon at the zoo for Toms River, N.J.'s 30-year-old married father of two.

Another possibility should be the FOX card at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 4. Henderson surely earned that showcase when his manic bout against Clay Guida wasn’t shown the night UFC debuted on FOX.

For everyone not named Anthony Pettis, the rematch is win-win. “Showtime” was, for a short time, in line to be Henderson’s first challenger. Odds are high he’ll still have his chance this year, and if Pettis makes good on it he could very well learn what it’s like to gain the type of respect the UFC showed Edgar.

For that respect, White's wishes will not be forgotten.

Abdel-Aziz said Edgar will move to 145, likely before the end of the year, even if he's standing champion. Not only would Edgar fight at featherweight, the manager continued, he’s open to 135.

At close to 160 pounds, the truth is Edgar doesn't walk around much heavier than Dominick Cruz or Urijah Faber. He’s capable and willing to make the weight -- an opportunity to hold belts in multiple divisions is apparently that enticing for the ambitious fighter.

History says this is impossible. Zuffa doesn’t allow champions to compete for belts in other weight categories. But, for what it's worth, Abdel-Aziz spoke as if it was a genuine possibility.

Wearing a title or not, Edgar’s presence elevates the earning potential of top featherweights, bantamweights and Zuffa. Everything boosts if he bests Henderson, of course. But say Edgar is blown out of the water this summer, the attention he'll bring to 145 and 135 remains a valuable and viable Plan B.

When the move is made, Aldo-Edgar instantly registers among the best fights Zuffa can promote. The same could be true of Cruz-Edgar, especially if the former lightweight champ tastes the title at 145.

Winning his way down makes this all come together; otherwise, Edgar might slip. Quick. After losing to Henderson (again) and Aldo, where would that put him? Then again, it’s fair to wonder what beating Henderson and the Brazilian champion would do for him.

For the time being, feel free to think of Frankie Edgar, a guy that doesn’t blink in staring contests, as the answer to his own question.

The UFC’s flyweight division was exactly one fight old when things went haywire at the top.

That’s so 2012 in the UFC. When title belts are in play, all paths look more like construction zones with detours.

This time, Ian McCall appeared as if he’d won a back-and-forth fight to advance in the shudder-speed flyweight tournament. Then the scorecards were read and it was actually Demetrious Johnson who won a majority decision, turning "Uncle Creepy’s" maestro swagger off as fast as it came on.

His depression didn’t last long.

To the chagrin of flyweight matchmaker Sean Shelby, who was in Columbus for Strikeforce some 10,000 miles away, the Australian athletic commission miscalculated the scorecards on McCall/Johnson. The result should have been a majority draw, and somewhere in the bowels of Allphones Arena in Sydney they informed Dana White, whose only response could be the obligatory tirade of profanity. They weren’t. And the disheartening thing for the UFC was that this was an eventuality it had prepared for by introducing a sudden victory round -- à la "The Ultimate Fighter" format -- to resolve any draws at the end.

But there’s no accounting for human error, and nothing much can be done in that situation except adopt the common shoulder-shrugger’s refrain: it is what it is.

Now Joseph Benavidez -- who TKO’d Yasuhiro Urushitani -- will wait for a rematch that most will be stoked to see and yet shouldn’t have to see. Flies in the Vaseline, they are. Sadly, the UFC’s newest division adds to the already algebraic complications going on with the UFC’s title pictures.

Go back a week and start there. Benson Henderson defeated Frankie Edgar at UFC 144 in a close fight to take home the lightweight strap. Seeing that it was a close fight, one that could be interpreted either way, Edgar asked for an immediate rematch. Problem is that Anthony Pettis, who knocked out Joe Lauzon the same night, wants his shot at the belt, too. He was the last man to defeat Henderson, and was at one point the solid No. 1 contender (a position he fancies himself in again). Jim Miller and Nate Diaz are operating with the understanding (delusion?) that their May 5 fight in New Jersey is a title eliminator.

It’s complicated.

Of everyone, Edgar is the unignorable here. The UFC wants him to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight belt, but Edgar doesn’t want to. He rematched B.J. Penn and Gray Maynard without quibbling, and he wants some return love. It’s hard to argue. Before his fight with Henderson, the UFC romanticized Edgar as a Rocky-esque figure in the hype process. Yet not even Rocky was Rocky coming off of wins. He was Rocky because of how he responded to losses. First with Apollo Creed, then with Clubber Lang. And later, after losing the vainglorious Creed to a killing machine from Russia, against Ivan Drago.

How can the UFC draw upon a man’s heart and not give him the chance to show its full dimensions? Having lost to the bigger, stronger Henderson sets the table for a truer representation of his nonfictional Rocky story.

As an extension of the uncertainty at 155 pounds and Edgar, the featherweight division is in limbo. What next for Aldo? Then you glance at the welterweight title picture, and that's way out of focus. Georges St. Pierre is recovering from ACL surgery, and is either way ahead of schedule or possibly right on schedule or something else. He is tentatively looking at a November return. Interim titleholder Carlos Condit is waiting to see something definitive in that timetable before deciding what to do next. Jake Ellenberger is waiting to see what Condit does, and now so is Martin Kampmann (the last man to defeat Condit). It’s possible we don’t see an “actual” title defense at 170 pounds this year.

By slotting Dominick Cruz against Urijah Faber as the coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 15, that means Cruz won’t defend his bantamweight belt until the summer. And that means any challengers beyond Faber -- guys like super-sensation Renan Barao -- are out of luck until winter.

As for middleweights, Anderson Silva is finally going to fight again in June after recovering from bursitis in his shoulder. There’s a chance we see just one middleweight title fight in 2012.

With eight weight divisions, and a conservative average of two fights per year, there should be in the neighborhood of 16 title fights. That won’t be the case in 2012. There might be 10, if we're lucky.

Can you imagine if Jon Jones had made good on his request to take a few months off? Light heavyweight is the closest the UFC has to a normally functioning division right now. And it looks like Junior dos Santos is ready to go, if Alistair Overeem can avoid injuries and conflicts beforehand.

Otherwise, title fights are scarce to come by this year. Which means we’ll be watching a lot more PFC (Penultimate Fighting Championship) than UFC (the Ultimate variety).

By most accounts, Ian McCall is the world’s best flyweight.

But despite the difficulties McCall is likely to present Demetrious Johnson on Friday, he isn’t the most pressing issue facing the UFC’s former top bantamweight contender.

Johnson has spent his fighting career competing at 135 pounds. And while he was a smaller bantamweight, Johnson always knew how his body would respond in the cage. Speed and precision technique are his greatest assets. Combined, they allowed him to control the opposition with lightning fast strikes, takedowns and transitions.

But when he enters the Octagon on Friday, the deceptively strong 5-foot-3 Johnson hopes his skills aren’t compromised by the lighter weight.

Competing at 125 pounds for the first time, against the top-ranked fighter in the division won’t be easy for Johnson.

McCall, the Tachi Palace Fights flyweight titleholder, enters the Octagon with an 11-2 professional record. And McCall is no stranger to the Octagon, having fought three times in the WEC.

He was defeated by current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in a nontitle bout on Jan. 25, 2009. McCall went 1-2 in WEC.

“Ian McCall is a tough guy,” Johnson told ESPN.com. “He’s ranked No. 1 in the world. He’s on a four-fight win streak, he’s fought in this division before and he knows how to make the weight cut.

“This is unfamiliar territory for me in my career at 125. But I am a professional athlete and I am making the adjustments to make sure my body runs at 100 percent in the weight class and I can get after it.”

Thus far, there have been no signs the weight cut has wreaked havoc on Johnson’s body.

If all goes according to plan Friday night, he expects to defeat McCall. Afterward, Johnson (14-2) will turn his attention to the man he wants most to fight for the UFC flyweight title -- Joseph Benavidez.

A showdown with Benavidez is a fight Johnson believes will happen one day; he just doesn’t want to delay the inevitable.

“It would be awesome,” Johnson said. “I think the world wants to see me and Joseph Benavidez fight.

“We will fight eventually, whether it’s me going to his gym and broadcasting it on Skype and we keep the proceeds. He and I will fight eventually before the end of our careers.”

Johnson has it all mapped out. After defeating McCall and Benavidez, he intends to wipe out the flyweight division then turn his attention to some unfinished business.

The ultimate goal for Johnson, 25, is becoming a two-division champion.

“I have not said goodbye to 135 forever,” Johnson said. “Right now, 125 is my home and it’s my goal to get that belt. But hopefully in the future I will fight at both weight classes.

“It’s like Jon Jones. He’s the champion at 205 right now and is beating all the guys and cleaning out the division, and I’m pretty sure he has ambitions to go up heavyweight and do work up there.”

If his body responds positively to the weight cut against McCall, it would be a bad idea to bet against Johnson reaching his primary goal.

Ian McCall stood inside a Whole Foods last week and listened to some guy tell him he didn't matter. That's a lot to stomach -- no matter who you are.

"I just don't really like the lighter weight classes," McCall was informed. "You guys are just boring to me."

After thinking about the conversation, McCall, widely regarded as mixed martial arts' No. 1-ranked flyweight, took comfort in the idea that his division, which debuts in the UFC on Friday, is one fans "really have to really like" to watch.

There's truth to that. Until McCall meets Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez deals with Yasuhiro Urushitani on FX this Friday, live from Sydney, Australia, jockey-sized mixed martial artists didn't have a bright enough spotlight on what they were doing. Interested fans had to actually seek them out. Not anymore.

When UFC adopted the lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight classes, the selling point was simple: these guys don't get tired, they're technical and they come to fight. Flyweight, "the final frontier in terms of how small you can go," according to McCall, all 5-5, 125 pounds of him, isn't so different. But there are people, like the guy at the market, who just won't care; if they wanted to watch guys McCall's build scrap, they would check out a Breeders' Cup.

"I don't want to say someone who just wants to watch heavyweights is ignorant, but just not as educated," said the 27-year-old married father of one. "Now that people are becoming more educated, they're appreciating the tactical side of it, which means opportunities for smaller guys. Smaller isn't always better, but I think the fighters that are coming down from 135 are going to make it better. I think there's going to be a lot of depth to the weight class, a lot of personality, which is a huge part of a sport that's growing so much."

McCall alone offers enough personality for a division that, in its first year of existence under the UFC banner, will remain small, filled through roster spots co-opted from 135 and 145.

“

Now that people are becoming more educated, they're appreciating the tactical side of it, which means opportunities for smaller guys. Smaller isn't always better, but I think the fighters that are coming down from 135 are going to make it better.

” -- Ian McCall

After McCall's last win, a submission of Darrel Montague in Lemoore, Calif., where he reigned as Tachi Palace Fights champion, the well quaffed "Uncle Creepy" proclaimed himself the man to spearhead flyweights into prominence. He playfully harassed Dana White and Sean Shelby, matchmaker for Strikeforce and lighter classes in the UFC, that it was time to allow guys his size in the Octagon.

Speculation was high that it would happen the first of the year, and it did. Later in 2012, one of the four fighters battling Saturday in Australia (Friday, 9 p.m. ET), will, barring unforeseen circumstances, be crowned the first UFC flyweight champion.

McCall enters the field at the top, but not without questions. Like Johnson and Benavidez, McCall fought for Zuffa at bantamweight prior the switch to 125. He left the promotion in 2009 after losing on points to Dominick Cruz. Then the craziness of his life took over. McCall fell victim to an old friend: drugs. He hit rock bottom. He found a good woman, married, and had a baby girl.

During that period, MMA was the light at the end of the tunnel.

Confidence from being in the gym, sparring and improving "was really what I owe it all to," he said. "And the way my life has changed with a family, wife, baby, it just adds on top of it. Fighting is what's taken me to where I'm at now, and has enabled me to live a life I wanted to live. Not financially, I don't make that much money right now. But spiritually, I've taken some different things from it."

McCall dropped weight because he said it felt natural to him. The harder he trained under the reins of Colin Oyama and Romie Aram, the smaller he got. Next came an opportunity, which is all he wanted, and "two years later I'm world champ. I'm kind of the torchbearer for this thing in the UFC," said McCall, who unabashedly predicts a "transition to superstar by winning the tournament."

Becoming the first UFC flyweight champion has a great ring to it and carries some historical significance, but for McCall to think he'll soon be the next George St. Pierre is a miscalculation. It takes time to develop a division, and Zuffa is playing it real tight at the start. Consider the tournament a "soft opening." Even bantamweight isn't a money-making venture for Zuffa quite yet -- perhaps that changes with Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber coaching the first season of "The Ultimate Fighter" on FX starting March 9 -- so at this stage, Zuffa regards flyweights as more of an investment than anything else.

You could hear the hope in McCall's voice as he said this: "If we can create a really strong structure, like they can at 125, it can definitely build and create something people love, that they want to see and will pay to see."

The weight class carries depth, so that's not an issue. Curious to some were Zuffa's roster choices -- McCall, Johnson, Benavidez, Urushitani, Darren Uyenoyama, John Dodson, John Lineker, Louis Goudinot and Josh Ferguson -- left free some of the sport's best -- Jussier da Silva, currently ranked No. 2 after losing to McCall one year ago, fights March 18 at a 132.3-pound catchweight in Brazil -- providing Richard Goodman, matchmaker for Tachi Palace Fights, solid bouts to make at the regional level.

"Now that the UFC has adopted this weight class, we're going to see a lot more guys develop at that weight," said Goodman, who claimed no trouble finding top talent before this wider exposure. "A lot of good fighters like Benavidez, Johnson, McCall -- they all had to fight at 135 because they didn't have any weight classes in any shows that could afford the budget to pay them what they deserve and make a good living."

At flyweight, McCall said the new crew of fighters "aren't going to be the fastest guys on the court anymore. They're going to have to deal with guys that are just as fast and just as technical in every way. I think they're going to be shocked."

He likes to talk, there's no question about that. For McCall (11-2), to make good on his words -- he'll meet Benavidez in the finals and win, "people haven't experienced a fighter quite like me yet" -- this second shot with Zuffa needs to be much better. Losing to Cruz was one thing, Benavidez and Johnson did that too, but he can't afford performances like the one against Charlie Valencia that saw him subbed within a round.

"I have a lot to prove," McCall said. "I need to show that I screwed up last time. I wasn't for real. Now I'm serious. I'm really just a completely different person fighting wise. People will see.

"My dreams were finally answered and I can focus completely about this. Nothing else as far as work. I don't have to look for other work. It's a big part of it. This is my job. This is my calling. This can change my life, make my life pretty damn cool. I was getting by before, but now my wife doesn't have to work -- she can just be mommy."

And, just maybe, he and his fellow flyweights won't have to deal with critiques from the checkout line anymore.

Joseph Benavidez pretty much has two birthdays now. There is his original birth date, just like everyone else, and the day he learned he’d get to fight at 125 pounds.

It’s always a good day when a fighter finds out he gets to compete in his ideal weight class, but the significance of this goes even further for Benavidez -- who says he feels "reborn" as a flyweight.

His career had hit a maddening spot during these past 18 months. He wasn't going to receive another title shot at 135 pounds after having lost to champion Dominick Cruz twice while in the WEC, but at the same time he was respected enough by UFC matchmakers that they refused to put him against rising prospects.

The result was Benavidez accepting undercard fights against competition that didn’t make a lot of sense. Through two fights in the UFC, he has yet to see the main card and has faced unranked opponents in Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland.

“I call that the purgatory of the bantamweight division,” Benavidez told ESPN.com. “The UFC is trying to build that division; so, I can’t get a title shot. But they also don’t want me knocking off the up-and-coming guys.

“I felt I took some random fights. I was so excited to fight in the UFC, but I was on Facebook [portion of bouts] and the undercard, fighting a guy coming off a loss. I felt I deserved a little better than that.”

As it turns out, the UFC agreed. The promotion announced late last year Benavidez would be included in its four-man flyweight tournament, which officially begins Friday at UFC on FX 2 in Sydney.

Benavidez (15-2) faces Japanese flyweight Yasuhiro Urishitani. The winner will meet either Demetrious Johnson or Ian McCall in the final.

For the first time in his career, Benavidez isn’t eating unnecessary meals or lifting weights in an attempt to put on unnatural weight. The opportunity to fight for a title is back in the picture as well -- the first 125-pound title in UFC history at that.

“It’s something I think about all the time,” Benavidez said. “Being the first flyweight champion would be history. I’d be immortal. No matter what I do, that’s always there.

“I bought a house after the Loveland fight. I wanted something grown up like an elephant or some flowers to put on the mantel. I decided I need a UFC belt. I don’t have one so I just put a picture of it. It’s something I visualize every day.”

His light schedule in 2011 -- it was the first time since 2006 he didn’t fight at least three times -- might have actually benefited Benavidez.

“

I bought a house after the [Eddie] Loveland fight. I wanted something grown up like an elephant or some flowers to put on the mantel. I decided I need a UFC belt. I don't have one so I just put a picture of it. It's something I visualize every day.

” -- Joseph Benavidez

While he’s known as a permanent member of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif., Benavidez likes to visit other camps when he has the opportunity.

Prior to his first two fights in the UFC, he traveled to Las Vegas to train under the late Shawn Tompkins. Earlier this year, he went there again to work with Muay Thai instructor Shawn Yarborough and boxing coach Jimmy Gifford.

With no fight to prepare for in the last six months, Benavidez was able to push himself without the fear of having to pull out of a contest if he injured himself. He’s evolved as a result.

“I’m never not motivated to train,” he said. “Actually, when I don’t have a fight I’m training the hardest because I’m not worried about getting hurt.”

While trying to not look too far ahead, Benavidez admits it’s been nice to know exactly what’s next should he win this week. Past that, in addition to a UFC title, he wouldn’t mind seeing his name appear on more pound-for-pound rankings.

Considering he’s competed at a higher weight class his entire career and lost to only one man, Benavidez says there’s already a case for him to be in the rankings. Finally at 125, he’s got the opportunity to erase all doubt.

“I definitely think there is an argument,” said Benavidez, on whether he’s on the top-10 list right now. “I’m second-best in a division I wasn’t supposed to be in. But there are so many good guys in this sport it’s hard to list pound-for-pound.

“I’m looking to accomplish that -- make myself a pound-for-pound name.”

Renan Barao heads into a fight at UFC 143 that could earn him a future shot at bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and Brad Pickett admits the Brazilian could be the man to take the gold. More »

Trivia time, guys. Fighting out of Alliance MMA in San Diego, this fighter began his career a perfect 9-0, quickly earning a title shot against a high profile champion in a premier mixed martial arts organization.

Experience played a vital role in the matchup, as the fighter suffered a fairly one-sided defeat -- the first and only loss of his career to date. Can you name him?

Bet you’re thinking Phil Davis and you are correct -- kind of. There are actually two UFC fighters that fit this exact description. Davis and 135-pound champ Dominick Cruz.

Cruz sailed through the first nine fights of his career, as Davis did, before running into WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber in 2007. It took Faber just 98 seconds to submit Cruz in that fight. Compare his story with what Davis just went though in a five-round decision loss to Rashad Evans and, well, it’s downright eerie.

“It’s definitely parallel to what happened with Dominick,” said Eric Del Fierro, head trainer at Alliance MMA. “He had nine fights and was undefeated when he fought Urijah. He lost.

“Now, see what he’s done. It’s part of the growing process sometimes.”

Davis (9-1) was one of the hottest prospects in MMA heading into Saturday’s UFC on Fox 2 event. After watching him muster very little offense during the course of the 25-minute fight, there are certainly those now saying we overestimated him.

But what did we really learn about Davis from his first loss? That he isn’t the high-ceiling prospect everyone thought he was? Or that he simply just did not have the experience level to compete with a former UFC champion?

Having gone through the exact same situation, Cruz saw the latter.

“My assessment of this fight was experience,” Cruz said. “This was Phil’s first five-round fight. I remember a very similar situation for myself. I was 9-0 and thrown into a big show. It was a learning experience and it opened my eyes.

“It wasn’t that he got completely owned out there. He lost the critical situations, where you know you can’t give up a takedown in the last 30 seconds of a round when the standup has been close.”

Davis’ boxing coach, Adrian Melendrez, says he learned a few things about Davis in the fight. As someone who works with him on a daily basis, it had nothing to do with where Davis is at regarding technical aspects of his game.

What Melendrez saw was Davis didn’t shy away from the high-pressure atmosphere of a major fight on network television. He noticed Davis was still trying to win in the final round, despite getting shut out in the previous four.

“Things weren’t going his way, but he wanted to win every round,” Melendrez said. “That toughness -- you don’t know if a guy has it until you see him in that situation.”

Four years after falling for the first time to Faber at WEC 26, Cruz avenged the loss with a five-round decision win for the bantamweight title at UFC 132.

Cruz says the taste of defeat, though, lingers in his mouth to this day. He admits he still thinks about the loss sometimes early in the morning, which drives him to wake up and run for miles.

Will last weekend’s experience do the same for Davis? No one knows for sure, but Cruz and the rest of his team certainly think so. As unspectacular of a weekend as it was for Davis, he's still come in a long way in a short period of time, and will only learn from the loss.

“It had been almost a year since he fought [Antonio Rogerio] Nogueira and his first fight back is a five-rounder against Rashad. That’s no easy task,” Melendrez said.

“He’s got a long career ahead of him. He has that competitor spirit where you want to win, but almost more importantly, you never want to lose again. I’m still 100 percent confident a UFC title will happen for him.”