Revisiting Cody vs Cruz - Totally different fighter

[ff]

made him look like a complete nobody.

nobody ??

 

[Alanf7]

He had less movement this fight. He was more flat-footed, more one-dimensional... just looking for that KO.

And made the same mistake as previous fight.

WHat the fuck are you talking about? He was the same as always before getting rocked.

 

[dildos]

father time caught up on cody.

cody with no kids would knock tj out two times in a row.

 

[FleximusPrime]

Cody is an emotional little chap and that gets the cortisol flowing and cortisol in a nutshell shuts you down.

 

[Platinum]

We're going to disagree here
This is how Cody always fights
Cody fights outside until he seems an opportunity to plant his feet and throw, often as a result of an opening for a counter created by his opponent coming forward. Then he lands, then he blitzes forward with a combination. His style is pretty straight forward

Against Cruz he fought someone who is uncomfortable leading, any by that I mean leading in any committal way not just leading by being the first to move. If you watch the fight, nearly every time he landed anything of significance it was off of a counter, and he spent the entire fight trying to bait Cruz into coming first in the middle of the cage

the problem wasn't that he fought differently against TJ, it was that he fought the same against a different type of opponent. TJ thrives on moving forward, and his entire style is based around forcing the opponent to try to counter him - which is just to say he's much better equipped to do it than Cruz is, he has a better arsenal of feints an entries suited to that purpose. What TJ does better than anyone else is that when he exchanges he forces it to happen on his terms based on where his feet are positioned relative to the other guy. Cody, in contrast, is used to being faster and quicker in the pocket often will set his feet initially and not adjust based on where the opponent is if he's committed to throwing, because against 99% of fighters he'll beat them to the punch. And if he does adjust, it's BEFORE the exchange where as TJ will adjust in the exchange.

There's also the factor that Cruz is just really sloppy when it comes to throwing hooks and for a guy like Cody whose style is built around exchanging his righthook for yours that's a godsend. Cody even noted that in the FullBlast where Cruz fought Uriah Faber, but it's plain to see Cruz throws hooks from his waist because he wants to mask them, but that doesn't matter against a guy like Cody who is just going to plant and counter whatever you throw. Even the rare times Cruz beat Cody to the punch, his slapping hooks did nothing to stop the return fire.

Being emotional likely had something to do with Cody's loss, but it shouldn't be the dominant narrative. The real story, which was the common thought coming in, is that TJ is just such a diverse fighter with a large toolbox that the longer any give meeting between the two went on the more likely he would be to find something that worked. And he did in the second round of the first fight, and that continued into the second bout.

TlDR, Cody fought the same way he always does, and that's why he lost.
The "he was emotional" storyline is overrated - he was emotional, but in either fight he looked good fotowork head movement and technique wise (relative to himself) until he got cracked.

 

[Dillashaw's Monkey Kick]

Cody's only legit win was against Cruz, before that he TKOed an old washed up Mizugaki, an overrated and later exposed Thomas Almeida and an unexperienced short notice Augusto Mendes. Not saying he's not legit, but he hasn't faced real contenders besides TJ and Cruz, and only won 1 out of 3 fights

 

[IMPmmath]

TJs just better

 

[KeiranMc]

Cody goes full tard against TSnake, because it's personal.

Correct answer.

 

[The Schmoop]

This has nothing to do with emotions. Cody was, if anything, more heated going into the Cruz...flipping out in the hallway while Dom was giving interviews. Cody is easy gotten to and wigs out with anyone.

Cruz has little to no power and has a style that poses zero threat to Cody. Cody is horrible matchup for Cruz funky, loopy, powerless punches. TJ is better striker than Dom and is more familiar with Cody and (more importantly) trains with a coach that knows Cody and his tendencies from personal experience.

Cody fought the same in both fights. He could afford to fuck off, drop his hands and dance with Cruz. TJ and his power/skill set command a higher level of respect.

 

[quantiqus]

Cruz was injured (plantar fascia tendinitis) and this really hurt his footwork.
Cody was just better, even if Dominick outstruck him. He had the KO power which allowed him to knowdown Cruz twice. Cruz clearly won two rounds and had more strikes. But those knockdowns won the fight for Cody. And, in the morons' eyes, the break dance also.

TJ improved in the last years and, unlike Cruz, he has KO power. Also, he figured out some stuff about Cody's defense. It wasn't about Cody fighting emotional, he usually fights emotional. TJ was just better.

 

[The Domin8or]

Winning 3 out of 5 rounds and getting outstruck doesnt mean mauling .

 

[Ysgramor]

Just look at this version of Cody who MAULED Cruz - made him look like a complete nobody.
He was just so fluid, fast, amazing head movement and supremely confident.

Where was this guy in the TJ fight?

Cruz is always coming off some long injury into fights these days, if he would have fought a prime Cruz he would have gotten his ass handed to him.

When he fought a skilled fighter in his prime, aka TJ he got knocked out twice.

 

[BC]

We're going to disagree here
This is how Cody always fights
Cody fights outside until he seems an opportunity to plant his feet and throw, often as a result of an opening for a counter created by his opponent coming forward. Then he lands, then he blitzes forward with a combination. His style is pretty straight forward

Against Cruz he fought someone who is uncomfortable leading, any by that I mean leading in any committal way not just leading by being the first to move. If you watch the fight, nearly every time he landed anything of significance it was off of a counter, and he spent the entire fight trying to bait Cruz into coming first in the middle of the cage

the problem wasn't that he fought differently against TJ, it was that he fought the same against a different type of opponent. TJ thrives on moving forward, and his entire style is based around forcing the opponent to try to counter him - which is just to say he's much better equipped to do it than Cruz is, he has a better arsenal of feints an entries suited to that purpose. What TJ does better than anyone else is that when he exchanges he forces it to happen on his terms based on where his feet are positioned relative to the other guy. Cody, in contrast, is used to being faster and quicker in the pocket often will set his feet initially and not adjust based on where the opponent is if he's committed to throwing, because against 99% of fighters he'll beat them to the punch. And if he does adjust, it's BEFORE the exchange where as TJ will adjust in the exchange.

There's also the factor that Cruz is just really sloppy when it comes to throwing hooks and for a guy like Cody whose style is built around exchanging his righthook for yours that's a godsend. Cody even noted that in the FullBlast where Cruz fought Uriah Faber, but it's plain to see Cruz throws hooks from his waist because he wants to mask them, but that doesn't matter against a guy like Cody who is just going to plant and counter whatever you throw. Even the rare times Cruz beat Cody to the punch, his slapping hooks did nothing to stop the return fire.

Being emotional likely had something to do with Cody's loss, but it shouldn't be the dominant narrative. The real story, which was the common thought coming in, is that TJ is just such a diverse fighter with a large toolbox that the longer any give meeting between the two went on the more likely he would be to find something that worked. And he did in the second round of the first fight, and that continued into the second bout.

TlDR, Cody fought the same way he always does, and that's why he lost.
The "he was emotional" storyline is overrated - he was emotional, but in either fight he looked good fotowork head movement and technique wise (relative to himself) until he got cracked.

Agreed 100%

Cody was fighting his fight, Dillashawinho just has such a far more diverse repertoire and will find something to crack Cody every time.