Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen
Odds: (-260 Cruz /+200 Jorgenesen )
Betting Pick: Cruz
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In a huge bantamweight showdown, 135 pound champion Dominick Cruz will look to defend his title and his world #1 ranking against tough challenger Scott “Young Guns” Jorgensen. Cruz has never lost at Bantamweight, but Jorgensen is riding a big win streak and has a very dangerous ground game. The winner of this fight will be crowned the first ever UFC bantamweight champion.
Jorgensen, who has put together five straight wins, is a very tough grappler who can control opponents with his wrestling or finish them with dangerous submissions. His standup is neither dangerous nor powerful, but he has solid defense and a good chin and is notoriously difficult to finish. He is going to be at a disadvantage in the striking game, and so he is going to have to try to force his takedowns past Cruz’s defense, which might prove a difficult proposition.
Cruz, the concensus world #1 Bantamweight, is a very tough and well-rounded guy. A solid technical boxer with good power, great wrestling, and solid ground and pound, Cruz is dangerous in every range. What makes him so tough to deal with is his defense. While he is a good offensive threat, he is not a prolific finisher, but he is very hard for opponents to control in any way and that helps him take fights over.
This is an interesting stylistic matchup. Both guys have solid wrestling and ground games, but Cruz is definitely the better striker while Jorgensen has better submissions. I think Cruz has to be the favorite here, though, just because fights start on the feet and Jorgensen is going to have to try to force takedowns, which is going to put him at risk. Jorgensen is tough and Cruz is not a great finisher, so this one will probably go the distance, but I expect that Cruz will handily win the striking and nullify Jorgensen’s wrestling en route to a unanimous decision.
Prediction: Dominick Cruz via Unanimous Decision.
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