Marlon Vera violently ended Dominick Cruz’s would-be title run earlier tonight (Sat., Aug. 13, 2022) at UFC San Diego live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Cruz started this fight really quickly, firing blitzing combinations and some hard kicks. “Chito” answered with a heavy left hook that dropped Cruz, but the former champion was up and firing before long. Cruz went right back to work, scoring punches and a takedown as Vera looked to time his opponent.
Vera got a bit more active in the second. While stalking Cruz, Vera did an admirable job of moving his head and blocking shots. Still, Cruz landed some very hard calf kicks. Cruz was still ahead on the volume game, but that began to shift in the third. Vera dropped his opponent again, and he really seemed to be starting to take control, blocking punches and land hard when he did open up.
Cruz kept fighting hard, but the tables had fully turned. Vera dropped him again with a hard jab in the fourth. Cruz popped back up yet again, but when he ducked into a perfectly timed left high kick, there would be no quick recovery — “Chito” picked up yet another brutal win.
Check out the final moments below courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
Chito dropping Dominick Cruz#UFCSanDiego pic.twitter.com/ZrMKGFf1Pa
— MMA mania (@mmamania) August 14, 2022
OHHHH MYYYYYY GOOOOOOODNESSSSSS!!!!!!
[ @ChitoVeraUFC | #UFCSanDiego ] pic.twitter.com/d65uxmlEo5
— UFC (@ufc) August 14, 2022
WOOOOW chitoveraUFC LO MANDA A DORMIR CON UNA PATADA DESCOMUNAL?? #UFCSanDiego pic.twitter.com/MrJoadYAl1
— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) August 14, 2022
MASSIVE WIN FOR CHITO #UFCSanDiego pic.twitter.com/Cb3zsmxBXL
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 14, 2022
For complete UFC San Diego: “Cruz vs. Vera” results and play-by-play, click HERE!