UFC 207 results from last night: Dominick Cruz vs Cody Garbrandt fight review, analysis

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight rivals Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt collided last night (Dec. 30, 2016) at UFC 207 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By making it to his third fight in a year, Cruz has gone a long way in proving that his injuries are in the past. While that may not last forever, Cruz planned to rack up wins and title defenses while healthy, and he had a game challenger ahead of him. Somewhat forgotten due to all the trash talk and hype is the fact that Garbrandt entered this bout as a blue-chip prospect with a penchant for knocking people out. The boxer had no intention of leaving the Octagon without the strap, and he aimed to score his 10th knockout win in the process.

It didn’t happen, but the Team Alpha Male representative left with the strap anyway.

The first round was a pretty insane series of events. Garbrandt opened the fight by kicking his opponents legs and taunting. He was actually the more accurate fighter, as he drew a lot of wide, looping punches from out of range. Meanwhile, Garbrandt looked to counter.

Cruz, to his credit, attacked with some nice jabs and low kicks. He timed a couple takedowns quite well, but Garbrandt was able to defend both times. In fact, he even scored a brief takedown of his own to end the round.

It was a strong showing from the challenger.

The second round began with some serious heat. Garbrandt connected with a clean two-punch combination, but Cruz returned with a hard shot of his own that earned his opponent’s respect.

On the whole, the round was extremely close. Each time one man landed a good shot, his opponent would quickly return a counter. Cruz did good work with his right low kick and some looping right hands, while Garbrandt dug body kicks and landed some pretty major counter punches.

It was anyone’s fight heading into the third round.

Garbrandt defended a takedown to start the round and immediately blasted him with a combination, cutting the champion. Garbrandt’s combinations were on point, as he right hand and left hook repeatedly found a home on Cruz’s jawline. At one point, he briefly dropped “The Dominator.” By the end of the round, Cruz’s face had taken some real damage, and he still had not found a way to drag Garbrandt to the mat.

The momentum was in the challenger’s corner heading into championship rounds.

A minute into the round, Garbrandt dropped his opponent badly but didn’t pursue the finish. After that punch and the following combination, Cruz really tried to go on the offensive. Garbrandt was content to pick his moments and counter, as Cruz was really trying to push forward and make something happen.

Garbrandt dropped him two more times near the end of the round, but the finish didn’t materialize.

Garbrandt continued to play the counter in the fifth and final round, digging kicks backing away from Cruz’s jabs. Cruz tried to pressure into wide combinations, but leading has never been his strength, and Garbrandt was able to avoid the vast majority of his offense.

Garbrandt essentially took the final round off to play defense, but it didn’t matter. His previous work awarded him the unanimous decision in pretty clear-cut fashion, as two judges even gave him a 10-8 round.

As the person who literally scouted Dominick Cruz for the new champion, I couldn’t be more impressed with how “No Love” fought. A lot of fans expected him to head hunt, but Garbrandt mixed up his attack with hard kicks to the legs and body. Furthermore, when he did explode with the intent of knocking Cruz the hell out, he waited until Cruz put himself out of position before attacking so viciously.

While I cannot say that I included the taunting in my scouting report, Garbrandt made the decision to manage his energy carefully in the championship rounds. Rather than chase the finish and potentially gas himself out, Garbrandt stayed measured and ensured that he won rounds.

Against Cruz, that’s precisely what you need to do.

Next up for Garbrandt should be TJ Dillashaw. Cruz has an argument for a rematch, but Dillashaw should not be denied. As for Cruz, his opponent fought brilliantly and forced him to lead. That’s not Cruz’s style — he’ll admit himself he doesn’t want to get into a slugfest — and he’s less comfortable there. When he opened up, he got hit hard, and that makes opening up a second time far more difficult.

To his credit, Cruz is tough as nails. He took more than a single kill shot, and his response was always to bite down on his mouth piece and trade. He may not want to fight like a bruiser, but Cruz is game as hell at heart.

Last night at UFC 207, Cody Garbrandt dethroned Dominick Cruz in style. Where should “No Love” head from here?

For complete UFC 207: “Nunes vs Rousey” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight rivals Dominick Cruz and Cody Garbrandt collided last night (Dec. 30, 2016) at UFC 207 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By making it to his third fight in a year, Cruz has gone a long way in proving that his injuries are in the past. While that may not last forever, Cruz planned to rack up wins and title defenses while healthy, and he had a game challenger ahead of him. Somewhat forgotten due to all the trash talk and hype is the fact that Garbrandt entered this bout as a blue-chip prospect with a penchant for knocking people out. The boxer had no intention of leaving the Octagon without the strap, and he aimed to score his 10th knockout win in the process.

It didn’t happen, but the Team Alpha Male representative left with the strap anyway.

The first round was a pretty insane series of events. Garbrandt opened the fight by kicking his opponents legs and taunting. He was actually the more accurate fighter, as he drew a lot of wide, looping punches from out of range. Meanwhile, Garbrandt looked to counter.

Cruz, to his credit, attacked with some nice jabs and low kicks. He timed a couple takedowns quite well, but Garbrandt was able to defend both times. In fact, he even scored a brief takedown of his own to end the round.

It was a strong showing from the challenger.

The second round began with some serious heat. Garbrandt connected with a clean two-punch combination, but Cruz returned with a hard shot of his own that earned his opponent’s respect.

On the whole, the round was extremely close. Each time one man landed a good shot, his opponent would quickly return a counter. Cruz did good work with his right low kick and some looping right hands, while Garbrandt dug body kicks and landed some pretty major counter punches.

It was anyone’s fight heading into the third round.

Garbrandt defended a takedown to start the round and immediately blasted him with a combination, cutting the champion. Garbrandt’s combinations were on point, as he right hand and left hook repeatedly found a home on Cruz’s jawline. At one point, he briefly dropped “The Dominator.” By the end of the round, Cruz’s face had taken some real damage, and he still had not found a way to drag Garbrandt to the mat.

The momentum was in the challenger’s corner heading into championship rounds.

A minute into the round, Garbrandt dropped his opponent badly but didn’t pursue the finish. After that punch and the following combination, Cruz really tried to go on the offensive. Garbrandt was content to pick his moments and counter, as Cruz was really trying to push forward and make something happen.

Garbrandt dropped him two more times near the end of the round, but the finish didn’t materialize.

Garbrandt continued to play the counter in the fifth and final round, digging kicks backing away from Cruz’s jabs. Cruz tried to pressure into wide combinations, but leading has never been his strength, and Garbrandt was able to avoid the vast majority of his offense.

Garbrandt essentially took the final round off to play defense, but it didn’t matter. His previous work awarded him the unanimous decision in pretty clear-cut fashion, as two judges even gave him a 10-8 round.

As the person who literally scouted Dominick Cruz for the new champion, I couldn’t be more impressed with how “No Love” fought. A lot of fans expected him to head hunt, but Garbrandt mixed up his attack with hard kicks to the legs and body. Furthermore, when he did explode with the intent of knocking Cruz the hell out, he waited until Cruz put himself out of position before attacking so viciously.

While I cannot say that I included the taunting in my scouting report, Garbrandt made the decision to manage his energy carefully in the championship rounds. Rather than chase the finish and potentially gas himself out, Garbrandt stayed measured and ensured that he won rounds.

Against Cruz, that’s precisely what you need to do.

Next up for Garbrandt should be TJ Dillashaw. Cruz has an argument for a rematch, but Dillashaw should not be denied. As for Cruz, his opponent fought brilliantly and forced him to lead. That’s not Cruz’s style — he’ll admit himself he doesn’t want to get into a slugfest — and he’s less comfortable there. When he opened up, he got hit hard, and that makes opening up a second time far more difficult.

To his credit, Cruz is tough as nails. He took more than a single kill shot, and his response was always to bite down on his mouth piece and trade. He may not want to fight like a bruiser, but Cruz is game as hell at heart.

Last night at UFC 207, Cody Garbrandt dethroned Dominick Cruz in style. Where should “No Love” head from here?

For complete UFC 207: “Nunes vs Rousey” results and play-by-play, click HERE!