TJ Dillashaw On Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt: It’s A Mockery Of MMA

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is not a happy man as he thought he would be fighting for the bantamweight title next. Dillashaw lost the title to current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz earlier this year, and after picking up a win, he was the clear favorite to get the next title shot. However,

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Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is not a happy man as he thought he would be fighting for the bantamweight title next. Dillashaw lost the title to current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz earlier this year, and after picking up a win, he was the clear favorite to get the next title shot. However, that will not the be case as Cruz and top prospect Cody Garbrandt are going to fight as they will co-main event UFC 207 on December 30th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Dillashaw told FanSided in a recent interview that he thinks it’s a fight that ruins the sport’s reputation.

“It’s a mockery – it’s a mockery of the sport,” Dillashaw said. “The sport should be about the best guys on the planet (fighting each other). What’s the point of having rankings (if they don’t factor into matchups)?”

According to Dillashaw, Conor McGregor is responsible for the UFC’s revamped matchmaking process but doesn’t blame McGregor personally.

“More power to the guys that can get away with making tons of money talking trash like Conor McGregor — he’s smart, he’s doing a good job — but it’s unfortunate what it’s doing to the rest of the sport. I want this shit to be real; not about the sideshow promotion.”

Dillashaw, who beat Raphael Assuncao earlier this year, doesn’t blame Garbrandt either for the UFC’s decision.

‘No Love’ has emerged as one of the UFC’s finest prospects and has developed a reputation as the division’s knockout artist. The Team Alpha Male fighter has been gunning for Cruz since his first-round KO of Thomas Almeida at UFC Fight Night 88 and has developed a healthy rivalry with the current champion.

At the end of the day, Dillashaw blames both the UFC and Cruz for putting the matchup together.

“Nothing against Cody Garbrandt; it’s not his fault,” Dillashaw said. “All of us should be pushing for the title — that’s the ultimate goal — but I blame Dominick Cruz and the UFC for letting this happen. I really don’t understand why the UFC is letting Dominick Cruz pick the fights he wants.”

Dillashaw should know that it’s likely he will get the winner of Cruz – Garbrandt and fight for the title that he once held.

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Besides A Well Placed Punch, Does Cody Garbrandt Have Anything To Offer Dominick Cruz?

So it’s official, Cody Garbrandt has been granted his wish and finally has the opportunity to punch Dominick Cruz in the face at UFC 207. Great news for anyone whose been following the beef between the two with a relish and passion topped only by Cody Garbrandt himself. So while this match up may be the what the fans, Garbrandt, and Cruz want, the big question is this: Can Cody get the job done?

The post Besides A Well Placed Punch, Does Cody Garbrandt Have Anything To Offer Dominick Cruz? appeared first on Cagepotato.

So it’s official, Cody Garbrandt has been granted his wish and finally has the opportunity to punch Dominick Cruz in the face at UFC 207. Great news for anyone whose been following the beef between the two with a relish and passion topped only by Cody Garbrandt himself. So while this match up may be the what the fans, Garbrandt, and Cruz want, the big question is this: Can Cody get the job done? Now, with mixed martial arts anything is possible, so sometimes asking these questions can be a bit futile, ultimately leading nowhere. But hypotheticals are too enticing for me to simply just walk away from, so here’s my two cents.

No, Cody Garbrandt will not beat Dominick Cruz at UFC 207. The rationalization is fairly simple in all actuality. Cody Garbrandt is an absolute savage, a talented boxer with speed and explosive movement that should give every bantamweight pause. The problem here is that he doesn’t offer Dominick Cruz anything he hasn’t seen before.

Where Garbrandt shines is when people decide to stay in the pocket with him. As such, that means Garbrandt is going to be hard pressed to land some leather on Dominick Cruz’s chin. The bantamweight champion isn’t a man who will sit in the pocket and trade blows for kicks. He’s looking to create angles, frustrate his opponents on the feet, all the while threatening with take downs throughout.

While Garbrandt does have good speed and pop on his punches, great footwork as well, he tends to share something in common with his former teammate TJ Dillashaw: both have a tendency to lead with their heads allowing themselves to get hit while looking for their own strike. While this can be great when you have a dance partner of a similar mindset, Cruz is a man known for never being in the same position twice if he can avoid it.

Garbrandt is going to have to utilize leg kicks as well as have his counter wrestling game on point. Here’s the problem with that though. Being primarily a puncher at heart, Garbrandt has a style that Cruz has seen a number of times in his career. Dillashaw was a much more complex puzzle for Cruz to figure out and he did so passing the test flying colors.

We’ll leave the full analysis for later, but what do you guys think of Cody Garbrandt’s chances against Dominick Cruz?


Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Dominick Cruz Opens As Early Favorite Against Cody Garbrandt

After months of trash talk, current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and top prospect Cody Garbrandt are finally going to fight as they will co-main event UFC 207. Early betting odds for the fight have been released. Cruz is a -220 favorite over Garbrandt, who is a +177 underdog. Cruz (22-1) hasn’t lost since March

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After months of trash talk, current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and top prospect Cody Garbrandt are finally going to fight as they will co-main event UFC 207. Early betting odds for the fight have been released. Cruz is a -220 favorite over Garbrandt, who is a +177 underdog.

Cruz (22-1) hasn’t lost since March 2007 and is coming off a win over Urijah Faber in June to successfully defend the 135-pound title once again.

On the other hand, Garbrandt (10-0) is 5-0 inside the world famous Octagon with four of his five wins coming by TKO and is fresh off a win over Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 202 in August.

It will be interesting to see how Cruz handles the much younger Garbrandt and his fighting style. Cruz, who is a veteran and the best bantamweight fighter in the world, will attempt to stay on top in a division that is getting stronger and stronger each year.

UFC 207 takes place on December 30th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The prelims will air on UFC Fight Pass and FOX Sports 1 while the main card will air on pay-per-view event.

This event will be headlined by the return of Ronda Rousey against newly-crowned women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.

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UFC 207’s Co-Main Event Now Official Between Dominick Cruz, Cody Garbrandt

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op_anDE5BjY[/embed]

The long-rumored co-main event for UFC 207 has been confirmed, as Dominick Cruz will defend his bantamweight title against Cody Garbrandt. ESPN was able to receive confirmation on the bout…

garbrandt-cruz

The long-rumored co-main event for UFC 207 has been confirmed, as Dominick Cruz will defend his bantamweight title against Cody Garbrandt. ESPN was able to receive confirmation on the bout from UFC officials recently.

Cruz (22-1) has yet to taste defeat over five Octagon appearances spread out over several years now due to injuries. He lost the UFC belt when he was stripped due to those injuries, re-claiming it with a split decision win over T.J. Dillashaw.

“The Dominator” went on earlier this year to defend the belt once more vs. Urijah Faber, earning another decision.

Garbrandt (10-0), a teammate of Faber under the Team Alpha Male banner, is also a perfect 5-0 with the promotion. He stopped Takeya Mizugaki in front of Cruz in August, stating his case as the No. 1 contender.

UFC 207, which takes place December 30 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will also feature the female bantamweight title, as Amanda Nunes defends vs. Ronda Rousey.

Dominick Cruz vs. Cody Garbrandt Official For UFC 207 Co-Main Event

The most debated bantamweight match-up in MMA has been made official for December 30’s UFC 207. UFC officials confirmed to ESPN.com today (Mon., October 24, 2016,) that 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz will meet surging contender Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt in the co-main event of the year-ending card from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Cruz famously made his

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The most debated bantamweight match-up in MMA has been made official for December 30’s UFC 207.

UFC officials confirmed to ESPN.com today (Mon., October 24, 2016,) that 135-pound champion Dominick Cruz will meet surging contender Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt in the co-main event of the year-ending card from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

Cruz famously made his return from a four-year bout with multiple injuries to wrest the title from TJ Dillashaw in a close, controversial bout at January’s UFC Fight Night 81. ‘The Dominator’ then moved onto a one-sided decision win over longtime rival Urijah Faber in the co-main of June 4’s UFC 199.

Meanwhile, ‘No Love’ has been doing anything but winning decisions, knocking out opponents left and right on his way to an impressive five-fight win streak in the UFC featuring four knockouts. He was last seen dominating longtime veteran Takeya Mizugaki at August’s UFC 202, and he ended the heavy hype train of Brazilian contender Thomas Almeida with a shocking first-round knockout only months earlier this May.

The fight has been talked about as the ultimate clash of styles in the suddenly buzzing 135-pound division, with the master of movement and avoiding strikes set to face off against arguably the most powerful puncher in the short history of UFC bantamweights. It also comes in with a bit of past bad blood involve, as Garbrandt now carries the torch for Faber and all of Team Alpha Male, whom Cruz has long had a bitter rivalry with.

The fight will lead into UFC 207’s anticipated Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey women’s bantamweight main event, ‘Rowdy’s’ log-awaited return to the Octagon following her devastating loss to Holly Holm last year.

But could Cruz vs. Garbrandt steal the 135-pound show on December 30?

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TJ Dillashaw Blasts Dominick Cruz: ‘Run Little Bi*ch, Run’

TJ Dillashaw is not a happy man. The former UFC bantamweight champion took to Instagram yesterday to remind Cruz and mixed martial arts (MMA) fans that ‘The Dominator’ has yet to respond to his $100k bet from a few weeks ago. The former Team Alpha Male member proceeded to call Cruz a ‘bit*h’ and insinuated

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TJ Dillashaw is not a happy man.

The former UFC bantamweight champion took to Instagram yesterday to remind Cruz and mixed martial arts (MMA) fans that ‘The Dominator’ has yet to respond to his $100k bet from a few weeks ago. The former Team Alpha Male member proceeded to call Cruz a ‘bit*h’ and insinuated that the longtime 135-pound king would retire before stepping into the Octagon with him once more:

“Still no response to my bet, proves my point that @dominickcruz is a scared little bitch and trying to avoid this fight however he can. Can’t just ignore this and expect it to go away, so run little bitch run little bitch, run. Say it with ya chest.
#kevinhart
Who wants to bet he tries to retire before fighting me again?!”

With rumors of Cruz preparing to defend his title against Dillashaw’s former teammate, Cody Garbrandt, next the frustration for the Elevation Fight Team member can’t be getting any easier.

The pair initially met in the main event of UFC Fight Night 81 in January, in which the returning Cruz reclaimed the title he never lost from the surging Dillashaw, who had ruled the bantamweight division while Cruz nursed multiple injuries, via split decision. Each man has seen Octagon action since the bout, however, with Cruz defending his title in dominant fashion against longtime rival Urijah Faber at UFC 199, and Dillashaw taking home a lopsided unanimous decision win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC 200.

With Cruz expected to clash with the No. 6-ranked Garbrandt next, it should be interesting to see what is the next step for the former champion, Dillashaw.

 

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