Cruz-Barao is going to be a great dissapointment!

[TM]

People are out of their minds if they think Cruz is going to come in after 2 ACL surgeries and over 2 years without a fight and do anything but get destroyed by Barao. The UFC needs to do Cruz a favor and strip him of the belt and let him fight somebody in the lower edge of the top 10 so he can get comfortable again before stepping in there with a killer like Barao.

I agree with this, Cruz should have been stripped already, have as much time as he needs to get back into fighting shape and then take on someone ranked 10 or so for a comeback fight.

 

[TSK]

Cruz will have terrible ringrust and his footwork wont be as good as it was.
Those are just 2 issues after the long layoff.

I could see this. Movement and his ability to mix takedowns with his striking are the biggest parts of his game and I could see that being severely hampered by the knee injuries. Barao is a beast too. Really hard fight to come back to after 2+ years away.

 

[fearoth]

2011 Barao vs 2011 Cruz would have been interesting. I'm afraid Cruz will never be the same fighter again.

 

[BrainLeakage]

I tought Wineland looked very good against Barao up until...

 

[ali2013champ]

Barao isn't Condit , Barao has no weakness he has standup,wrestling and submissions ,in fact he should be in top 5 p4p Fighters right now He is underrated, i would pick Barao to win even before Cruz injury.

 

[Poser Caust]

With the severity of his injury there is no way to accurately asses this fight.

 

[o'dubhlaoich]

Fans are excited for this fight but Cruz is coming back after TWO YEARS with back to back ACL injuries.Barao is going to smash him and it wont even be competitive.
The cruz we're going to see will be nothing like the cruz of old.

Cruz needs to relinquish the belt and take one or two tune up fights. Without them he will get mauled. Even with them, he might still get mauled

 

[ilfirin]

It wouldn't surprise me the slightest if Barao actually did smash him, however I fail to see how this would be a disappointment. I love seeing Barao smashing people, regardless who they are.

 

[Krouget]

People were saying the same thing about GSP, but we all know how his fight with Condit turned out. When you're a gifted fighter, a 2 year lay-off won't come into play. I expect to see the same Cruz. I just feel Barao will win, regardless of a lay-off.

I hear what you're saying, but Cruz has a very mobile, highly active style. I pray he returns at something close to 100%, because Barao is arguably the worst type of fighter you'd want to come back to after that injury + layoff.

Honestly, I have to see what Cruz is looking like, right now. Admirable that you have faith, though.

 

[DhalpsdaDocta]

Renen has cleaned out the division and is a far better fighter than cruz

 

[Cygnus-X]

Cruz deserves the benefit of the doubt.

But it will be tough, definitely. Barao would be a hell of a match-up for him even if Cruz wouldn't have gone through all these injuries and lay-off time.

 

[MeatBarry]

Cruz beats him if he looks the same. I just don't think he could be nearly as good as he was.

 

[PRIDEWASBETTER]

It's like people think Cruz is just sitting on his ass waiting for his knee to heal. lol

He's training hard and working to get his footwork back. He'll be ready physically. Mentally is the big question.

 

[Big Nasty Edison]

Really Barao should be considered the actual champ, not interim champ, since Cruz hasn't fought in like 2 years.

 

[2385amh]

Fans are excited for this fight but Cruz is coming back after TWO YEARS with back to back ACL injuries.Barao is going to smash him and it wont even be competitive.
The cruz we're going to see will be nothing like the cruz of old.

I agree 100%

 

[AxekickfromDiaz]

I think Barao has the moveset and unorthodox style to negate Cruz's riverdance. I'm excited to see how it plays out!

 

[beastman]

I doubt Cruz will be healthy enough to fight.

 

[Kinger85]

I don't think Barao is going to SMASH Cruz, but I am expecting Barao to win.

 

[PRIDEoftheUFC**]

Cruz beats him if he looks the same. I just don't think he could be nearly as good as he was.

I'd give Cruz a slight edge over him if he comes in looking the same. I just have no confidence in him winning this fight after such a long layoff and injury against a monster like Barao.

 

[Kind Herb]

As a Cruz hater, I'm OK with Barao beating his ass, ring rust or not.