T.J. Dillashaw says that he absolutely was influenced by Dominick Cruz's Footwork

[cade187]

lol, we've seen how post injury Cruz fight's right? Not saying he's gonna be back to his old self, I hope he will though, but to make claims like that when we haven't even seen how he fights is pretty dumb.

How is that dumb? He's been out for over 2 years because of injuries. No one comes back 100% after being gone that long. I also used the word "probably" which means it isn't certain.

I don't understand what you're getting so sensitive about; but to pretend he is going to be the same fighter when he comes back is pretty dumb.

 

[Phisher]

imagine a heavyweight copying Cruz? See JDS bopping around like that

Yeah, imagine a HW gassing 90 seconds into a fight or blowing out his knee like Browne did against Bigfoot.

 

[Phisher]

How is that dumb? He's been out for over 2 years because of injuries. No one comes back 100% after being gone that long. I also used the word "probably" which means it isn't certain.

I don't understand what you're getting so sensitive about; but to pretend he is going to be the same fighter when he comes back is pretty dumb.

He'll have been out for three years by the time that he's ready to fight. That's assuming that he doesn't get injured again.

I also find it mind-boggling that so many people assume that he'll be in the exact same position when he returns.

He's had two serious injures different parts of his body and had two major surgical procedures on his knee. Do people realize that he hasn't been able to train for the majority of the time that he's been sitting out?

The notion that Cruz would be a legit title contender upon his return also assumes that the level of competition in the division has remained stagnant. The top ten at 135 doesn't look anything like it did when Cruz was champ. Half of the top contenders at that time were undersized guys who now fight at Flyweight.

If Cruz comes back as even a lower top ten guy, it will be nothing short of a miracle.

 

[Iplaytolose]

How is that dumb? He's been out for over 2 years because of injuries. No one comes back 100% after being gone that long. I also used the word "probably" which means it isn't certain.

I don't understand what you're getting so sensitive about; but to pretend he is going to be the same fighter when he comes back is pretty dumb.

It's a possibility. There's no way could could prove otherwise until he fights. It's not like he's been sitting on his ass doing nothing for the past few years like the regular population would do. He's been putting in work.

 

[Oblivian]

Dillashaw's striking and footwork looked a lot more fluid than Cruz's herky jerky style. He also threw with a lot more power. He looked like a better striker than Cruz in that fight.

 

[Deleted member 245586]

rooting for cruz to make a comeback

it would be 3 years between fights tho

 

[MCS]

well, TJ is shorter than Cruz and fought more on the inside than Cruz ever did. That decided the fight, Barao can't kick up close and went to brawling mode as usual when the fists started flying, TJ landed first and avoided what was coming back.

The similarities in footwork are there, but Barao has some good kicks, long arms and Cruz took some big punches from both Faber & MM. It's not a similar fight, though Cruz is good at racking up points, is well-rounded and fights smart, which makes him tough to beat if he comes back in good form.

 

[Oblivian]

Cruz's wrestling is one of the most underrated parts of his game. Everyone credits his striking, but his wrestling is what secures him a lot of rounds.

 

[MCS]

Cruz's wrestling is one of the most underrated parts of his game. Everyone credits his striking, but his wrestling is what secures him a lot of rounds.

it did against MM, for example. he hides those shots well in between his strikes. Barao's TDD has been outstanding, and he's a bit shorter (or compact), which would be a problem for Cruz, imo.