Dominick Cruz vs Urijah Faber: Understanding Dominick Cruz’s fighting style and footwork

[strike thought]

Dominick Cruz still remains to seem like a mystery to many fans watching his fight so I always enjoy breaking down and providing examples to explain his craft. I spent a lot of time making specific gifs to help people understand what he’s doing so here it is. My hopes are that readers get a better understanding of his ability and gain more appreciation for his skills. I had to break the piece into 3 parts. This is just the first part. I'll provide a link to the rest at the end. - Strike Thought

(intro is skipped, only found on the blog)

The Jab​

Aside from being a fighter, Dominick Cruz also does an excellent job as an analyst. You can tell that his breakdowns are strongly derived from the success of his own experience. Following his analytical work can be instrumental in understanding MMA, but most importantly, his perspective gives valuable insight into understanding his own fighting style as a whole.

Here, we look at the jab. Using the jab in conjunction with lateral movement optimizes your defensive abilities against striking and takedown attempts. As Cruz mentions (I roughly paraphrase), by moving laterally, you’re constantly adjusting your hips and you won’t be directly in front of them in the event you need to defend the takedown. Alternatively, by moving laterally with the jab, your head is always dynamically moving away, denying the opponent a static target to strike. Against Faber, Cruz used this to the fullest potential.

steps forward with a jab, and hop steps laterally. ​

Note Cruz pivots his rear leg laterally first and follows up with the lead foot afterwards, actively adjusting his position to never be directly in front of Faber. As a result, he ends up adjusting his hips laterally far off to the side.

Give me a moment to dissect this technique to look at a few layers of defense in this simple execution.

1. Cruz has his Jab high, with the shoulder protecting the chin from shots from his left side (circled in green).
2. Cruz is moving laterally which will cause linear strikes to pass by as he moves to the side.
3. His hips are no longer positioned directly in front of Faber for extra defensive positioning.
4. He’s guard is down on his right side, but he’s moving away from Faber’s left hand. Even if it were to land, the force would be mitigated due to Cruz already moving in the same direction that the trajectory the hook would follow. See that the green arrows moves in the same circular trajectory of the red arrow. If you want a physics explanation why it reduces the impact force, see my little physics breakdown or just skip it.

He used the lateral jab several times to effectively tag Faber throughout the fight. His lateral jab is further accentuated by the use of his long reach, making it even more difficult for Faber to penetrate the execution of his movement.

Cruz slides the rear foot over laterally during the execution to hop over even further to a new position. An opponent looking to shoot forward or throw strikes down his center-line will surely have trouble.

You may not see this in boxing as often because of limited space and the fact that the needs to re-position yourself from takedowns/grappling threats aren’t present in the boxing or kickboxing landscape.

Understanding The Slide Step​

I’ve talked about this particular technique extensively in the past breakdowns. In case you’re a new reader or need a reminder, Dominick Cruz uses a “slide” (a term Dominick Cruz calls it) to hit advantageous angles and to measure the opponent. Here’s a brief description below.

The Slide Step. Cruz appears to slide off at an angle.​

The slide step is used as a tool against the opponent to gauge their reaction. It lets him hit an angle laterally from the pocket where he hits a distance that lets him react to shots better. The lateral movement also lets him hit a more defensive position since he’ll no longer be directly in the pocket where it’s easier to get hit. Sometimes he’ll reach his arm out to intercept shots.

Here’s his personal tutorial on the slide step if you’re looking for more information (I covered the basic concept of it if you wish to skip the video for now).

Cruz will regularly use the slide step to feint the opponent and works off of what they give him. Look at these two possible strategies Cruz will implement if they react or if they don’t react to the slide step.

If they don’t react to the slide step​

If the opponent does not react to your feint, it’s a good indication to attack. This allows you to exploit an opponent who has become complacent in a stationary and inactive mindset. You see, after a while, the threat of feints start to lose their appeal if nothing follows them. As a result, opponent’s stop reacting to them. Cruz exploits this by attacking the very moment they become complacent. See this next example:

Cruz slide steps to measure Faber’s reaction. He sees that Faber becomes inactive and becomes stationary. He uses that time moment to go to the body just as Faber’s shot just misses his head.​

Also note that Cruz’s usage of slide stepping onto both sides starts to funnel Faber in a linear direction back towards the cage. See the image below, indicated in red are the areas Cruz cuts off by slide stepping as Faber is forced back in the direction indicated in the green arrow.

If they do react to the slide step​

If Cruz reads that they’ll try to time a counter on his advancement, Cruz will retreat. He effectively uses the slide step to bait out the opponent’s offense, and then punishes them with his own counters.

Cruz slide steps to bait Faber forward, retreats into a different stance, then punishes him with lateral jabs.​

Note Cruz slide steps and retreats back, effectively avoiding a dangerous range, while switching his stance to deny them any use of advantageous angles (more on this soon).

Now that I have you acquainted with the slide step and lateral jab, you can see how he combines the two techniques into a masterful display of bait/trap and punish, all while maintaining defensively sound positioning.

Cruz has a variety of other offensive transitions out of the slide step which I’ve already covered a few breakdowns ago, so you’re welcomed to go back and check it out in my earlier writings about it .

Weight on the Back Foot​

One of the most important aspects of the slide step is his weight distribution. A notable habit from Cruz is that he constantly keeps his weight on the back foot and his lead foot ready to push away throughout various uses of different footwork. By doing this, he’s able to move in the direction away from the opponent more effectively while pushing off the posted lead leg. He’s rarely over-committed with his weight on his lead leg, allowing him to make quick last-minute adjustments to escape.

weight on the back foot, ready to push off and pivot away at angles.
Even after a failed strike, Cruz is always ready to retreat by putting the weight on the back foot.

It’s a bit faster to move the head first instead of the body and head as a whole because you’re moving the body in smaller increments (the upper body first, then the lower body), so it’s common to see his head move as the body follows afterwards.

On to part 2, we take a look at the advantages of Dominick Cruz’s stance switching and other offensive tactics. Go Here:

 

[sirmorbach]

The more I watch Dominick fighting and the more I read about his style, the more I admire him as a fighter. Genius.

Awesome post. Thank you for sharing.

 

[ElCasca]

Didn't read but Cruz is a genius

 

[BlastoiseDad]

Great write up.

I also want to point those curious to the BJJscout videos released during the leadup to the TJ fight. Excellent stuff.

 

[Lombards shoes]

Tldr

 

[FadeLess]

Thats how you do a thread !! Great job !!
What i allways find impressive in Dominick is his antecipation and deflection ... its really awesome to watch
What i was a little disapointed about , allthough i totally understand his actions , is that he didnt gave much respect to Faber after the fight

 

[Phronimos]

Love it.

 

[machidafan99]

rory nailed with with his Willie Pep comparison

 

[vladimir]

Tldr

Cruz fight good. Real good.

 

[strike thought]

Great write up.

I also want to point those curious to the BJJscout videos released during the leadup to the TJ fight. Excellent stuff.

Thanks.

He's a great contributor. If you ever get the chance, you should check out the AllianceMMA channel too. Cruz made a few videos several years ago that actually explains some of the footwork processes he uses in his fight.

 

[ElLunico]

Cruz style is hard to deal with but to be honest he is lucky there arent a lot of fighters with good boxing in that division. Dillashaw has good hands but he is like a poor mans version of cruz. Im talking good technical boxing.

thats why i feel garbrandt has a good shot. Having your hands always low against a guy that has boxed most of his life and is also very fast and powerful is not the best gameplan.

 

[JohnyBrabo]

Thanks TS, really enjoying your analysis. Cruz is one of a kind I wish more fans would appreciate his greatness.

 

[strike thought]

rory nailed with with his Willie Pep comparison

I can dig that. Cruz has always talked about drawing inspiration from him. It was fun doing a little segment about it a while back. Here's a few examples from the piece.

Spoiler: Cruz and Willie Pep

Shifting into escape

misdirection

slide step + jab

 

[fortheo]

I love how you mentioned that he uses his slide step to pressure and "funnel" his opponents back against the cage. Cruz has a rep for being great defensively, which is a well earned reputation, but he's also extremely adept at being a pressure fighter and reading how his opponents react under such pressure.

Thanks for the write up.

 

[strike thought]

I love how you mentioned that he uses his slide step to pressure and "funnel" his opponents back against the cage. Cruz has a rep for being great defensively, which is a well earned reputation, but he's also extremely adept at being a pressure fighter and reading how his opponents react under such pressure.

Thanks for the write up.

Glad you enjoyed it The more I watch him fight, the more I appreciate those little details in what he does. It's art every time he gets in there to fight.

 

[CrimsonFan]

Cruz does likely have the best footwork in the game and some great wrestling

He lacks power and finishing ability though. I feel like leaving opponents 5 rounds increases the chance of a lucky punch or a submission. I think that will ultimately be what beats him

 

[When DC Cries]

 

[TheNightmanCometh]

Dominick Cruz still remains to seem like a mystery to many fans watching his fight so I always enjoy breaking down and providing examples to explain his craft. I spent a lot of time making specific gifs to help people understand what he’s doing so here it is. My hopes are that readers get a better understanding of his ability and gain more appreciation for his skills. I had to break the piece into 3 parts. This is just the first part. I'll provide a link to the rest at the end. - Strike Thought

(intro is skipped, only found on the blog)

The Jab​

Aside from being a fighter, Dominick Cruz also does an excellent job as an analyst. You can tell that his breakdowns are strongly derived from the success of his own experience. Following his analytical work can be instrumental in understanding MMA, but most importantly, his perspective gives valuable insight into understanding his own fighting style as a whole.

Here, we look at the jab. Using the jab in conjunction with lateral movement optimizes your defensive abilities against striking and takedown attempts. As Cruz mentions (I roughly paraphrase), by moving laterally, you’re constantly adjusting your hips and you won’t be directly in front of them in the event you need to defend the takedown. Alternatively, by moving laterally with the jab, your head is always dynamically moving away, denying the opponent a static target to strike. Against Faber, Cruz used this to the fullest potential.

steps forward with a jab, and hop steps laterally. ​

Note Cruz pivots his rear leg laterally first and follows up with the lead foot afterwards, actively adjusting his position to never be directly in front of Faber. As a result, he ends up adjusting his hips laterally far off to the side.

Give me a moment to dissect this technique to look at a few layers of defense in this simple execution.

1. Cruz has his Jab high, with the shoulder protecting the chin from shots from his left side (circled in green).
2. Cruz is moving laterally which will cause linear strikes to pass by as he moves to the side.
3. His hips are no longer positioned directly in front of Faber for extra defensive positioning.
4. He’s guard is down on his right side, but he’s moving away from Faber’s left hand. Even if it were to land, the force would be mitigated due to Cruz already moving in the same direction that the trajectory the hook would follow. See that the green arrows moves in the same circular trajectory of the red arrow. If you want a physics explanation why it reduces the impact force, see my little physics breakdown or just skip it.

He used the lateral jab several times to effectively tag Faber throughout the fight. His lateral jab is further accentuated by the use of his long reach, making it even more difficult for Faber to penetrate the execution of his movement.

Cruz slides the rear foot over laterally during the execution to hop over even further to a new position. An opponent looking to shoot forward or throw strikes down his center-line will surely have trouble.

You may not see this in boxing as often because of limited space and the fact that the needs to re-position yourself from takedowns/grappling threats aren’t present in the boxing or kickboxing landscape.

Understanding The Slide Step​

I’ve talked about this particular technique extensively in the past breakdowns. In case you’re a new reader or need a reminder, Dominick Cruz uses a “slide” (a term Dominick Cruz calls it) to hit advantageous angles and to measure the opponent. Here’s a brief description below.

The Slide Step. Cruz appears to slide off at an angle.​

The slide step is used as a tool against the opponent to gauge their reaction. It lets him hit an angle laterally from the pocket where he hits a distance that lets him react to shots better. The lateral movement also lets him hit a more defensive position since he’ll no longer be directly in the pocket where it’s easier to get hit. Sometimes he’ll reach his arm out to intercept shots.

Here’s his personal tutorial on the slide step if you’re looking for more information (I covered the basic concept of it if you wish to skip the video for now).

Cruz will regularly use the slide step to feint the opponent and works off of what they give him. Look at these two possible strategies Cruz will implement if they react or if they don’t react to the slide step.

If they don’t react to the slide step​

If the opponent does not react to your feint, it’s a good indication to attack. This allows you to exploit an opponent who has become complacent in a stationary and inactive mindset. You see, after a while, the threat of feints start to lose their appeal if nothing follows them. As a result, opponent’s stop reacting to them. Cruz exploits this by attacking the very moment they become complacent. See this next example:

Cruz slide steps to measure Faber’s reaction. He sees that Faber becomes inactive and becomes stationary. He uses that time moment to go to the body just as Faber’s shot just misses his head.​

Also note that Cruz’s usage of slide stepping onto both sides starts to funnel Faber in a linear direction back towards the cage. See the image below, indicated in red are the areas Cruz cuts off by slide stepping as Faber is forced back in the direction indicated in the green arrow.

If they do react to the slide step​

If Cruz reads that they’ll try to time a counter on his advancement, Cruz will retreat. He effectively uses the slide step to bait out the opponent’s offense, and then punishes them with his own counters.

Cruz slide steps to bait Faber forward, retreats into a different stance, then punishes him with lateral jabs.​

Note Cruz slide steps and retreats back, effectively avoiding a dangerous range, while switching his stance to deny them any use of advantageous angles (more on this soon).

Now that I have you acquainted with the slide step and lateral jab, you can see how he combines the two techniques into a masterful display of bait/trap and punish, all while maintaining defensively sound positioning.

Cruz has a variety of other offensive transitions out of the slide step which I’ve already covered a few breakdowns ago, so you’re welcomed to go back and check it out in my earlier writings about it .

Weight on the Back Foot​

One of the most important aspects of the slide step is his weight distribution. A notable habit from Cruz is that he constantly keeps his weight on the back foot and his lead foot ready to push away throughout various uses of different footwork. By doing this, he’s able to move in the direction away from the opponent more effectively while pushing off the posted lead leg. He’s rarely over-committed with his weight on his lead leg, allowing him to make quick last-minute adjustments to escape.

weight on the back foot, ready to push off and pivot away at angles.
Even after a failed strike, Cruz is always ready to retreat by putting the weight on the back foot.

It’s a bit faster to move the head first instead of the body and head as a whole because you’re moving the body in smaller increments (the upper body first, then the lower body), so it’s common to see his head move as the body follows afterwards.

On to part 2, we take a look at the advantages of Dominick Cruz’s stance switching and other offensive tactics. Go Here:

You're not the first person to use GIFs, and your breakdown is elementary. Using more words doesn't mean the breakdown is complex, or an in depth analysis. Everything you said are generic ideas that can be found all over the internet. Trying picking one piece of his game to breakdown and try doing it in less than two paragraphs.

 

[8KresniK8]

 

[fortheo]

You're not the first person to use GIFs, and your breakdown is elementary. Using more words doesn't mean the breakdown is complex, or an in depth analysis. Everything you said are generic ideas that can be found all over the internet. Trying picking one piece of his game to breakdown and try doing it in less than two paragraphs.

You use a lot of words to say nothing.