While he admires Dominick Cruz as a fighter, UFC welterweight Kevin Holland is not a fan of the former bantamweight champion’s analysis and commentary work.
Cruz, who has had two stints atop the 135-pound mountain and remains inside the divisional top 10, has become a notable figure in the broadcasting section of the UFC. He often calls events as a color commentator, joining the likes of Paul Felder, Daniel Cormier, and Michael Bisping in that role.
Like any commentator, especially in modern times, Cruz’s analysis is an acquired taste. While some appreciate the former titleholder’s insight, knowledge, and use of his personal fight IQ to break down fights, others have criticized the veteran’s work, in particular some questionable remarks when it comes to the scoring of certain bouts.
But Holland, a longtime UFC middleweight and now-welterweight fighter, has a grudge against “The Dominator” for other reasons.
During his appearance at UFC Austin media day on Wednesday, which came ahead of his fight with Tim Means this weekend in Texas, Holland appeared agitated at some questions sent his way by Cruz during his fighter meeting with the broadcast team.
While discussing the improvements he’s made to his wrestling knowledge, a lack of which led him to a pair of main event losses in 2021, Holland noted that Cruz had brought up the topic in a way that he wasn’t a fan of.
“I’ve been working on the wrestling for over a year now, and I believe that if I work on anything for over a year, it’s a f*cking problem,” said Holland. “Though I don’t know what the f*ck Dominick Cruz is in there talking about, but it’s gonna be a f*cking problem.”
When further quizzed on his Cruz remarks, Holland admitted that the man regarded by many as the bantamweight GOAT “bugs” him with how he commentates his fights. Nevertheless, “Trailblazer” insisted that he still respects Cruz as a mixed martial artist.
“Man, he was just — he asked me something about my wrestling. I don’t like the way he acts,” said Holland. “I don’t like that guy, bro. It’s just, he bugs me… Yeah (it was in the fighter meeting), he’s always got something to say about my sh*t. F*cking Dominick.
“He’s still a OG though, you now what I mean? That being said, I like the way he fights. It’s just when he commentates. I hate how he commentates on my fights. But I love when he fights. His movement is f*cking crazy,” added Holland.
Despite not being Cruz’s biggest supporter when it comes to commentary, Holland will be fighting in Austin this weekend with the former bantamweight kingpin calling the action. Given his latest comments, we can’t imagine “Big Mouth” will be rushing to watch a repeat of the broadcast, especially if he finds himself on his back…
What do you make of Kevin Holland’s take on Dominick Cruz’s commentary?
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