Cruz Control
Mar 5, 2010
(PRESS RELEASE) -- When bantamweight Dominick Cruz speaks of the
sacrifices he’s made to get to Saturday’s world title fight against
champion Brian Bowles at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, you
can tell that there’s more at stake for him than a shiny gold belt.
You quickly see that this isn’t your typical “winning the belt is
my dream” underdog story.
For the 24-year-old San Diego resident, Saturday’s world title fight is an opportunity to change his life forever. Should Cruz win his first world championship this weekend, gone will be the days of eating Top Ramen to get by. Gone too will be the days of him sleeping on the floor on a worn-out mattress. If Cruz (14-1) is able to best unbeaten champion Bowles (8-0) on Saturday, he believes the life of hardship he’s lived will be changed for eternity.
“I didn’t grow up with much, so I’ve learned to live my life with
the bare minimums,” Cruz said. “I grew up in a trailer and didn’t
have a lot of nice things. It was about as rough as it gets. This
fight gives me a chance to change that. I’m kinda tired of sleeping
on hand-me-down mattresses. I’ve been blessed to come this far and
overcome all of that. On Saturday, I want all of the sacrifices to
pay off.”
To say that Cruz is motivated for this fight is an understatement. Aside from being considered a heavy underdog to Bowles by many, Cruz is fueled by those who wonder if he can handle Bowles’ arsenal. Given the champion’s recent destruction of former beltholder Miguel Angel Torres – a man who had won 17 straight fights before meeting Bowles – some wonder if Cruz can withstand what lies ahead of him on March 6. Despite the tall task that awaits, “The Dominator” remains unfazed. Unbeaten at 4-0 since dropping to 135-pounds in 2008, Cruz believes his skill set is the best in the division and plans to prove it this weekend.
“I try to devout my every waking hour into MMA and into this fight, because my goal is to be a world champion,” Cruz, who defeated Joseph Benavidez in August to earn a world title shot, continued. “This is an incredible opportunity for me and I’m ready for everything that comes my way on March 6. I’m ready to stop the fight in the first round. I’m ready to take it five rounds. Wherever it goes, I’m prepared for everything. This is my chance.”
Tickets for WEC: Bowles vs. Cruz are on sale now and priced at $125, $75, $45, and $25. Tickets may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at the FOX Sports Ohio Blue Line store at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing and ticket outlets at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North. Tickets are subject to service charges.
WEC: Bowles vs. Cruz will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
Follow WEC at http://twitter.com/WEConVERSUS.
About World Extreme Cagefighting®
The WEC brand is recognized as one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. WEC, founded in 2001, is the sister organization of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and today features the most prominent light weight fighters in the world. Owned and operated by WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through the Versus network.WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is shown on The Score network in Canada, Setanta Sports in Australia, Globosat in Brazil, and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.
About VERSUS
VERSUS the fastest growing sports cable network in the country prides itself on super-serving passionate sports fans across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). The network is the cable television home of the National Hockey League (NHL), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Bull Riders (PBR). VERSUS also has partnerships with top sports leagues such as NASCAR, NBA and UFC and airs collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. The network is also home to the best outdoor programming on television and airs original programs not available anywhere else, including Sports Soup and Sports Jobs with Junior Seau. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Nationwide Arena
For more information about upcoming events at Nationwide Arena, visit www.NationwideArena.com or call (614) 246-2000. Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL), is an SMG-managed facility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to more than 210 venues controlling over 1.5 million entertainment seats worldwide.
For the 24-year-old San Diego resident, Saturday’s world title fight is an opportunity to change his life forever. Should Cruz win his first world championship this weekend, gone will be the days of eating Top Ramen to get by. Gone too will be the days of him sleeping on the floor on a worn-out mattress. If Cruz (14-1) is able to best unbeaten champion Bowles (8-0) on Saturday, he believes the life of hardship he’s lived will be changed for eternity.
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To say that Cruz is motivated for this fight is an understatement. Aside from being considered a heavy underdog to Bowles by many, Cruz is fueled by those who wonder if he can handle Bowles’ arsenal. Given the champion’s recent destruction of former beltholder Miguel Angel Torres – a man who had won 17 straight fights before meeting Bowles – some wonder if Cruz can withstand what lies ahead of him on March 6. Despite the tall task that awaits, “The Dominator” remains unfazed. Unbeaten at 4-0 since dropping to 135-pounds in 2008, Cruz believes his skill set is the best in the division and plans to prove it this weekend.
“I know for a fact that I have power and I know for a fact that I
can finish fights,” Cruz, who trains alongside UFC star Brandon
Vera and WEC lightweight Ed Ratcliff at Alliance Training Center in
Chula Vista, Calif., said. “I go into every fight with the
mentality to finish my opponent. Brian Bowles is a great opponent.
But I’ve prepared myself for everything Brian is going to bring to
the table.
“I try to devout my every waking hour into MMA and into this fight, because my goal is to be a world champion,” Cruz, who defeated Joseph Benavidez in August to earn a world title shot, continued. “This is an incredible opportunity for me and I’m ready for everything that comes my way on March 6. I’m ready to stop the fight in the first round. I’m ready to take it five rounds. Wherever it goes, I’m prepared for everything. This is my chance.”
Tickets for WEC: Bowles vs. Cruz are on sale now and priced at $125, $75, $45, and $25. Tickets may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets are also available at the FOX Sports Ohio Blue Line store at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing and ticket outlets at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North. Tickets are subject to service charges.
WEC: Bowles vs. Cruz will be televised nationally live on VERSUS beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. All of the network’s live WEC events are presented in HD and Spanish language SAP where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.
Follow WEC at http://twitter.com/WEConVERSUS.
About World Extreme Cagefighting®
The WEC brand is recognized as one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. WEC, founded in 2001, is the sister organization of the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and today features the most prominent light weight fighters in the world. Owned and operated by WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through the Versus network.WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is shown on The Score network in Canada, Setanta Sports in Australia, Globosat in Brazil, and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.
About VERSUS
VERSUS the fastest growing sports cable network in the country prides itself on super-serving passionate sports fans across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). The network is the cable television home of the National Hockey League (NHL), IZOD IndyCar Series, Tour de France, World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Bull Riders (PBR). VERSUS also has partnerships with top sports leagues such as NASCAR, NBA and UFC and airs collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. The network is also home to the best outdoor programming on television and airs original programs not available anywhere else, including Sports Soup and Sports Jobs with Junior Seau. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.
About Nationwide Arena
For more information about upcoming events at Nationwide Arena, visit www.NationwideArena.com or call (614) 246-2000. Nationwide Arena, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL), is an SMG-managed facility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to more than 210 venues controlling over 1.5 million entertainment seats worldwide.
