Cody's performance

[Sano]

Hard to believe that this is the same guy who looked like a brawler a few years ago. He always had the potential, but everything really came together in this fight. I'm not the biggest fan of his, but there's no doubt that was one of the best title challenger performances ever.

If you could build a perfect style to go against Dominick Cruz, with a perfect gameplan, it would probably be Cody on that night. Superior positioning, good boxing, power, counters, explosive defensive and offensive wrestling and the composure to let Cruz lead. They didn't fall for the Cruz bait before the fight. Not to mention how Cody is an incredible athlete and surprisingly fast.

Alpha male finally did it.

 

[j123]

Hard to believe that this is the same guy who looked like a brawler a few years ago. He always had the potential, but everything really came together in this fight. I'm not the biggest fan of his, but there's no doubt that was one of the best title challenger performances ever.

If you could build a perfect style to go against Dominick Cruz, with a perfect gameplan, it would probably be Cody on that night. Superior positioning, good boxing, power, counters, explosive defensive and offensive wrestling and the composure to let Cruz lead. They didn't fall for the Cruz bait before the fight. Not to mention how Cody is an incredible athlete and surprisingly fast.

Alpha male finally did it.

Bearded Cruz = sealevel Cain

Its kinda expected you'd be dropped with something big when you repeatedly throw hook after hook from chest position

 

[Sano]

Bearded Cruz = sealevel Cain

Its kinda expected you'd be dropped with something big when you repeatly throw hooks after hooks from chest position

Yet Cruz was 22-1 before the fight with that style, his last loss was in 2007 against Faber and he defended his belt from WEC to UFC 6 times. No one could really make him pay for it. Cruz is very good at getting into guys head and then make them angry and over aggressive. He lets them lead and then counters all day with that weird style. If he's in trouble, he feints and shoots the takedown. He couldn't do any of that against Cody.

I think if they fight again Cruz will probably not come forward as much. Could be a real stalemate.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

Not surprised in the least that someone with good boxing and composure beat Cruz. I always thought Cruz's style looked very, very bad and dangerous against good strikers, he was just lucky to be in a division where no one was able to properly take advantage of that.

 

[rmongler]

Yet Cruz was 22-1 before the fight with that style, his last loss was in 2007 against Faber and he defended his belt from WEC to UFC 6 times. No one could really make him pay for it. Cruz is very good at getting into guys head and then make them angry and over aggressive. He lets them lead and then counters all day with that weird style. If he's in trouble, he feints and shoots the takedown. He couldn't do any of that against Cody.

I think if they fight again Cruz will probably not come forward as much. Could be a real stalemate.

Dom's success in the cage has always been a perennial source of mystification, and a lot of attempts have been made to try and explicate (or justify rather) his striking. Trying to find something solid they can extrapolate and see at work elsewhere.

Those people are and were running into the same problems his previous opponents had.

If something about a fighter is so consistently 'mystifying' or 'hard to explain', it's a pretty good rule of thumb that you're looking in the wrong place.

Cruz's dance dance revolution has always been a big giant red cape disguising his matador's spear, the real weapon: his wrestling.

That's what tipped the decision in his favor vs Demetrious, vs Dillashaw, and neutralizing that threat let Cody to play his game with no second guesses and not get a rude disruption.

Accuracy with straits always beats looping in neutral, once you remove other factors.

 

[Was Exiled]

Cruz's footwork just wasn't phasing Garbrandt in the slightest, he stood his ground and kept his composure. Cruz also refused to adjust his punches, Dom kept throwing those wide hooks he's had success with before and Cody would throw his much tighter, shorter shots beating Cruz to the punch pretty much every time. I could be way off base here but I also feel maybe Cruz focused too much on throwing pre-set combos/moves as opposed to just flowing, maybe a case of over analysis leading to paralysis. Garbrandts head movement was really good too. Those leg kicks Dom throws are kind of bizarre, I mean obviously I've never felt one from him but they seem so telegraphed and ineffective.


Cody impressed the hell out of me, to think just a few years ago he was a minute away from losing to Brimage.

 

[Tayski]

Cody did good but I think it's mostly because Cruz didn't perform that Cody looked so good. Cruz' movement, timing, reacting and strikes were completely off.

 

[a guy]

Cody did good but I think it's mostly because Cruz didn't perform that Cody looked so good. Cruz' movement, timing, reacting and strikes were completely off.

No, Cruz looked off because Cody made him. Cruz did everything he could but Cody was in control of distance and positioning. He made Cruz try to lead and used superior footwork and head movement to get him out of position, then hurt him with counters. He refused to chase or walk into traps. Most importantly, he even outwrestled Cruz, which meant Cruz HAD to strike but couldn't get anything going. Cruz himself said immediately after that anyone trying to make excuses for him is wrong, he just got beat. Cody put on a true championship performance.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

No, Cruz looked off because Cody made him. Cruz did everything he could but Cody was in control of distance and positioning. He made Cruz try to lead and used superior footwork and head movement to get him out of position, then hurt him with counters. He refused to chase or walk into traps. Most importantly, he even outwrestled Cruz, which meant Cruz HAD to strike but couldn't get anything going. Cruz himself said immediately after that anyone trying to make excuses for him is wrong, he just got beat. Cody put on a true championship performance.

What impressed me most about Cruz is how he handled the loss. "People saying I looked off, no, I felt like I always do."

 

[a guy]

What impressed me most about Cruz is how he handled the loss. "People saying I looked off, no, I felt like I always do."

Exactly. When asked what he thought about people saying he looked less than 100% he said "they're wrong. That was me". Cruz brought his A-game, Cody just shut it down.

 

[n.diazismylife1999]

Exactly. When asked what he thought about people saying he looked less than 100% he said "they're wrong. That was me". Cruz brought his A-game, Cody just shut it down.

Facing the facts like that is going to help him in the rematch, too. Instead of trying to convince himself he was "off", he knows he needs to change. An opposite of that that comes readily to mind is Ronda.

 

[CFGroup]

Dom's success in the cage has always been a perennial source of mystification, and a lot of attempts have been made to try and explicate (or justify rather) his striking. Trying to find something solid they can extrapolate and see at work elsewhere.

Those people are and were running into the same problems his previous opponents had.

If something about a fighter is so consistently 'mystifying' or 'hard to explain', it's a pretty good rule of thumb that you're looking in the wrong place.

Cruz's dance dance revolution has always been a big giant red cape disguising his matador's spear, the real weapon: his wrestling.

That's what tipped the decision in his favor vs Demetrious, vs Dillashaw, and neutralizing that threat let Cody to play his game with no second guesses and not get a rude disruption.

Accuracy with straits always beats looping in neutral, once you remove other factors.

Nicely written!

Cruz never had good striking, just the ability not to get struck in a style, MMA that had below average movement for combat sports.

 

[Uchi Mata]

Dom's success in the cage has always been a perennial source of mystification, and a lot of attempts have been made to try and explicate (or justify rather) his striking. Trying to find something solid they can extrapolate and see at work elsewhere.

Those people are and were running into the same problems his previous opponents had.

If something about a fighter is so consistently 'mystifying' or 'hard to explain', it's a pretty good rule of thumb that you're looking in the wrong place.

Cruz's dance dance revolution has always been a big giant red cape disguising his matador's spear, the real weapon: his wrestling.

That's what tipped the decision in his favor vs Demetrious, vs Dillashaw, and neutralizing that threat let Cody to play his game with no second guesses and not get a rude disruption.

Accuracy with straits always beats looping in neutral, once you remove other factors.

I don't think you can separate the two (Dom's striking and wrestling). What made his wrestling so effective was that he closed the distance the same way for those loopy upper cuts and hooks as he did for his doubles and knee taps. Much like a body puncher will get you dropping your hands and then come upstairs, Cruz would get guys to drop their hands by bumping in and shooting a few times and then mixing in bumps to head shots when his opponent started dropping his hands to defend the TD. Not to mention the angles he was able to take (largely by hiding his stance changes with looping punches) allowed him to get into really good position to shoot. With Cody not biting on his feints, Cruz didn't really ever get a chance to shoot on an opponent who was leaning back, and he also wasn't able to create the angles he needed for clean doubles or knee taps because Cody was countering his hooks rather than reacting purely defensively. Not certain, but I seem to recall he caught Cruz out of stance a few times by countering those hooks as Cruz was trying to shift. That's a hard punch to take in between stances.