Has Cruz ever finished an elite opponent

[pilgrim4702]

just curious.

 

[Congo66]

If only there was a way to look up his record and find out.

 

[NHB.SQ87]

Depends on your definition of "elite". But short answer, no.

 

[chinarice]

HEEEEELLLLLL NO

 

[Failwani]

He's mentally finished them, I guess...

 

[JustBleed69]

He just beats most of them convincingly

 

[lykae23]

Closest would be Mizugaki, when that still meant something.

 

[mirellale]

He just beats most of them convincingly

He didn't beat TJ convincingly since half of the media had the fight almost split.

 

[latoya johnson]

just curious.

It's common knowledge that Cruz isn't a natural finisher.
I don't hold it against him.
Not everyone can have KO power.

Plus, he always fights top 5 guys.


Regardless, TJ is GOAT!!1!

 

[DaGenius]

Nope not at all. Cruz has been the hipster fighter here for a while as in “finishes don’t matter because he is the future of mma”...or this is what sherdog tried to tell me

 

[SherdogFan23]

It is no different than GSP.

 

[pilgrim4702]

It is no different than GSP.

Gsp has finished elite fighters.

 

[VanMMA]

Brian Bowles was champion when Cruz finished him.

 

[NHB.SQ87]

Brian Bowles was champion when Cruz finished him.

Doctor stoppage. Not exactly the same thing.

 

[ZackZed]

Brian Bowles was champion when Cruz finished him.

/thread
Here's what this Pilgrim idiot posted from another thread.

Lol Cruz wasn't competitive with the number 6/8 ranked garbrandt. Caught the beating of his life and was tooled in his own specialty. Nice try tho. I guess beating the Scott Jorgensens and razor thin decisions I which he runs for his life from a rematch, in addition to not having a SINGLE FINISH OVER AN ELITE OPPONENT IN HIS ENTIRE CAREER. Never fought 145 greats like his contemporary faber, who finished him, did. Lol top 6 goat yeah ok.

 

[MikeMcMann]

It is no different than GSP.

Oh so then you are saying 'yes Cruz has finished elite fighters just like GSP has', gotcha.

 

[Chain Saw]

He is the decisionator for a reason.

 

[Organic Damage]

His opponents were all elite at not getting finished.

 

[SherdogFan23]

Gsp has finished elite fighters.

Start naming them...

MIchael Bisping is no elite fighter. He had almost zero chance in beating any elite fighter and clearly dodged all of them after he got the belt. He got the lucky shot against a lazy Rockhold and was never forced to defend a rematch like other fighters who had supposed fluke wins.

Matt Hughes was holding the belt so I can see that someone will argue he was elite. But Hughes was clearly fading as can be noted from his record that he did 50% on all of his fights at that point forward of his career....

BJ Penn was a LW fighter, not WW and took him to 4th round (thus not elite in WW division).

GSP is very much like Cruz in method (point fighters).

 

[Tom Taylor]

Nope, and TBH I have never understood the Cruz hype. He's obviously a tremendous fighter, but people are so amazed by his spastic, herky-jerky style... To me it just looks ridiculous. Effective, I guess, but ridiculous.