Tag: Dominick Cruz

EXCLUSIVE | Pedro Munhoz Wants To Show Off His Wrestling Against Dominick Cruz

Pedro MunhozUFC bantamweight veteran Pedro Munhoz plans to show he’s not just an accomplished striker in the UFC octagon when he faces former champion, Dominick Cruz, at UFC 269. Munhoz is coming off of losses in three of his last four outings against some of the toughest fighters in the bantamweight division, including former UFC champions […]

Pedro Munhoz

UFC bantamweight veteran Pedro Munhoz plans to show he’s not just an accomplished striker in the UFC octagon when he faces former champion, Dominick Cruz, at UFC 269.

Munhoz is coming off of losses in three of his last four outings against some of the toughest fighters in the bantamweight division, including former UFC champions Frankie Edgar, Jose Aldo, and current titleholder Aljamain Sterling. He desperately needs a win to get back in the thick of things in the stacked 135-pound division, and a win over Cruz would put him back in the conversation.

Munhoz recently took the time to speak with LowKickMMA’s James Lynch and had a lot to say when it comes to how he feels his style matches up with the former champion.

“It’s going to be a very entertaining fight,” Munhoz said. “I’m going to have to find a way to deal with his footwork and cut angles. In my fights, they’re mostly standing up, but I want to focus on my wrestling. Cruz is a guy that likes to engage with the wrestling and the grappling situations, so I’m looking forward to scrambling with him and go after him.”

“I want to showcase different techniques that I’ve been comfortable doing for my whole life that a lot of people don’t get to see.”

Munhoz is mostly known for his hard-nosed kickboxing, as evidenced in knockout wins over former champion Cody Garbrandt along with former UFC fighter Bryan Caraway. While he has eight submission wins over his career, he hasn’t earned a win in the ground game since he choked out Rob Font at UFC Fight Night 119.

Cruz is one of the most cerebral fighters in MMA history and Munhoz will need to show off a bit of diversity to secure the win. Cruz thrives on mixing it up, which it sounds like Munhoz is more than happy to show off his grappling that hasn’t been a real factor in a while.

What is your early prediction for Pedro Munhoz vs. Dominick Cruz at UFC 269?

Dominick Cruz Still Not Ruling Out Charity Fight with Hans Molenkamp

Dominick CruzOne of the strangest callouts in UFC history came courtesy of Dominick Cruz earlier this year following UFC 259, as he blasted Monster representative Hans Molenkamp and suggested that he was making unreasonable demands and threatened to withhold sponsorship money. Following his prolonged return to the UFC octagon against Casey Kenney, Cruz took the time […]

Dominick Cruz

One of the strangest callouts in UFC history came courtesy of Dominick Cruz earlier this year following UFC 259, as he blasted Monster representative Hans Molenkamp and suggested that he was making unreasonable demands and threatened to withhold sponsorship money.

Following his prolonged return to the UFC octagon against Casey Kenney, Cruz took the time to call out Molenkamp on national television in his post-fight interview. Many around the MMA community were confused with Cruz’s comments and who Molenkamp was, to begin with.

Cruz has since suggested that Molenkamp’s self-proclaimed relationship with fighters was overblown, and accused him of attempting to use fighters’ names to boost his own reputation.

During a recent sit-down on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Cruz provided an update on what has happened with him and Monster Energy since his comments.

Dominick Cruz clarified his beef with Monster Energy’s Hans Molenkamp during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani

“This is never been about [Monster Energy], this has been about my relationship with one person,” “We needed to hash some things out, set some boundaries, and communicate. When you look at the big picture, I’m responsible for everything I create in my life. So it was my responsibility to create a boundary with him. Man to man, eye to eye, you shouldn’t have to say that to another man. But we’re living in a world where the internet can botch reality.”

“I’m still completely open to a charity fight with Hans Molenkamp. He might be open to that too.”

Cruz is set to face Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 on Dec. 11 as he looks to get back in the thick of things in the bantamweight division. He’s lost two of his last three bouts and has dealt with a series of ongoing injury issues.

It appears that while Cruz’s relationship with Monster Energy is still sustainable, it’s perfectly clear that he doesn’t take clout chasing very lightly.

What are your thoughts on Dominick Cruz’s comments?

REPORT | Dominick Cruz To Fight Pedro Munhoz At UFC 269

Dominick CruzThe former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to take on the #9 rated Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 on December 11 according to a report from MMA Fighting. Cruz is coming off a split decision victory over Casey Kenney back at UFC 258. Prior to the win over Kenney, Cruz was on a 2 […]

Dominick Cruz

The former Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to take on the #9 rated Pedro Munhoz at UFC 269 on December 11 according to a report from MMA Fighting.

Cruz is coming off a split decision victory over Casey Kenney back at UFC 258. Prior to the win over Kenney, Cruz was on a 2 fight losing streak. He had lost to Cody Garbrandt to lose his championship back in 2016, but then came back in 2020 to challenge Henry Cejudo for the belt. He ultimately lost that fight as well, being the 2nd loss in a row.

Cruz had been hinting at a possible fight with someone in the top 10 earlier this week. His name was brought up for a possible bout against ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley, but he quickly shot that down. In recent years, Cruz has had his struggle with injuries. Cruz talked about his inability to walk at times leading up to his fight with Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt due to plantar fascia tendinitis. He has also had his share of broken bones and torn ACL’s in the past as well.

On the other hand, this will be Munhoz’s third fight of the year. He started off the year by winning a match against Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision. That bout also got him a bonus for being the ‘Fight of the Night’. In his second fight of the year, Munhoz lost a decision to Jose Aldo at UFC 265. This fight against Cruz will be Munhoz’s second fight in a row in which he will fight a former champion.

Prior to taking the fight against Cruz, Munhoz was involved in rumors about a possible move to the Flyweight division. It seems as if Munhoz has had a change in heart and will be taking on Cruz before making a decision about taking a step back and moving down in weight.

Are you excited for a Pedro Munhoz vs Dominick Cruz bout?

Dominick Cruz vs Pedro Munhoz In The Works For UFC 269 On December 11th

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is back, and it seems he will be fighting Pedro Munhoz. After dropping his title to Cody Garbrandt, Cruz dropped another bout to Henry Cejudo for the vacant title. However he returned to action in March to win a split decision over Casey Kenney, proving that he is far […]

Continue Reading Dominick Cruz vs Pedro Munhoz In The Works For UFC 269 On December 11th at MMA News.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is back, and it seems he will be fighting Pedro Munhoz.

After dropping his title to Cody Garbrandt, Cruz dropped another bout to Henry Cejudo for the vacant title. However he returned to action in March to win a split decision over Casey Kenney, proving that he is far from washed up.

Now, it seems that the Dominator is returning for his second fight of the year, this time facing off against #9-ranked Pedro Munhoz. Sources revealed to MMAFighting that this fight is in the works to take place at UFC 269 on December 9th, with verbal agreements in place but no contracts signed just yet.

For Dominick Cruz, this will be the first time that he has fought twice in one calendar year since he recaptured the title from TJ Dillashaw in 2016, defended it against Urijah Faber, and then lost to the aforementioned Garbrandt. However, Pedro Munhoz will be looking to right the ship after dropping three of his last four, all of which to current former champions.

This bout is looking to be added to the stacked last pay-per-view of the year for UFC 269, which is confirmed to feature Amanda Nunes defending her bantamweight strap against Julianna Peña. Also on this card will be the flyweight title rubber match between Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo.

This is by no means an easy fight for Dominick Cruz or Pedro Munhoz, but it will do a lot to show where each man is in their respective careers. Pedro will look to keep his spot in the top ten alive, while Dom hopes to show that he still has what it takes to hang with the top dogs in the super-stacked and ever-changing bantamweight division.

Who do you see taking the victory in this massive clash at 135lb?

Continue Reading Dominick Cruz vs Pedro Munhoz In The Works For UFC 269 On December 11th at MMA News.

Dominick Cruz Rejects O’Malley Callout, Says He Has A Fight Booked

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz has rejected a callout from Sean O’Malley, and in doing so, revealed that he already has an opponent for his next fight. O’Malley’s callout came as his search for a December opponent continues. He was offered a clash with Frankie Edgar at UFC 268 in November. He cited his […]

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Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz has rejected a callout from Sean O’Malley, and in doing so, revealed that he already has an opponent for his next fight.

O’Malley’s callout came as his search for a December opponent continues. He was offered a clash with Frankie Edgar at UFC 268 in November. He cited his coach Tim Welch’s availability and New York’s high taxation as his reason for turning the fight against the former UFC Lightweight Champion down.

It looked as if “Sugar” was set to meet Brian Kelleher at UFC 269 on December 11. O’Malley’s coach asked “Boom” if he was free on that date during an exchange on Twitter. Kelleher even appeared to publicly confirm that the 26-year-old had accepted the fight.

Despite that, O’Malley turned his attention to former champ and #11-ranked bantamweight Cruz. Reiterating his desire to fight on the UFC 269 card, which is expected to be headlined by a lightweight title clash between Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier, the surging 135-pound star proposed a clash with “The Dominator.”

Responding on Twitter, not only did Cruz reject O’Malley, but he also announced that he already has a date and an opponent set for his next appearance.

“I have a date with someone that is ranked up ahead of me stud. Same thing you’re looking for. So I get it. May the force be with you in figuring that one out for yourself.”

Given that his opponent is ranked above him, we can narrow down the options. Petr Yan and Cory Sandhagen are set to fight for the interim title at UFC 267, TJ Dillashaw is still recovering from knee surgery, Rob Font and José Aldo are expected to clash at the December 4 Fight Night, Cody Garbrandt will be debuting at flyweight against Kai Kara-France before the end of the year, and Frankie Edgar will meet Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 268 in November.

That leaves Merab Dvalishvili, Marlon Moraes, and Pedro Munhoz. Given the Georgian’s win at UFC 266 last weekend, it seems unlikely he’d accept a fight against a bantamweight outside of the top-10, especially so soon after his victory. The same goes for “Magic” Moraes. While his losing skid makes a clash with Cruz logical, there’s little chance he’s already signed on for another fight just days out from another disappointing setback.

Munhoz vs. Cruz makes sense. Given the length of time since the Brazilian’s defeat to Aldo at UFC 265, he’s pretty much the only man inside the top-10 without an opponent and who’s had a decent break since his last fight.

Cruz, a two-time 135-pound UFC champ, boasts wins over the likes of Dillashaw, Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson, and Joseph Benavidez. After losing his title to Garbrandt in 2016, “The Dominator,” who’s had a torrid run of injuries in the promotion, was on the sidelines for nearly four years.

Having made an unsuccessful comeback against Henry Cejudo in 2020, Cruz returned to the win column for the first time since UFC 199 against Casey Kenney earlier this year. He’ll be looking to return to the form that once brought him a 13-fight win streak when he’s next in action.

Who would you like to see Dominick Cruz and Sean O’Malley face in their next fights?

Continue Reading Dominick Cruz Rejects O’Malley Callout, Says He Has A Fight Booked at MMA News.

Sean O’Malley Eyes Two Big Names For His Next Fight

Sean O’Malley has revealed who he’d face next if it was up to him. O’Malley has been making a name for himself in the UFC. Despite not being in the top 15 bantamweight rankings, the “Sugar” show has been calling for some big names. In fact, he’s got two former world champions in mind. During […]

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Sean O’Malley has revealed who he’d face next if it was up to him.

O’Malley has been making a name for himself in the UFC. Despite not being in the top 15 bantamweight rankings, the “Sugar” show has been calling for some big names. In fact, he’s got two former world champions in mind.

During an appearance of MMAFighting’s The MMA Hour, O’Malley said that Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz are on his radar.

“If they offered me Frankie, I would love to fight Frankie. Frankie’s a top-10 guy, and he’s a big-name guy. I wouldn’t have said no. No, I don’t want to fight him because I want to get paid more to fight. I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll fight Frankie on December 11 in Vegas. I would have loved that fight. That’s the fight I was hoping for. That’s the match I wanted. I’ll also fight Dominick Cruz December 11. That’s a fight I would take.”

O’Malley isn’t likely to get the Edgar fight this year. That’s because “The Answer” is penciled in to fight Marlon Vera at UFC 268 on Nov. 6. Sean O’Malley gave his prediction for the fight on his podcast.

“I think Chito beats Edgar. I think it’s probably going to be boring as s**t,” Claimed O’Malley. “I think Frankie, he just kinda like goes back and forth. Chito doesn’t do much. I’m gonna watch. I’m gonna watch and observe. But yeah, it’ll probably be a boring fight. I think Chito wins. I think Chito beats him.”

O’Malley suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career to “Chito” Vera back in Aug. 2020. Since that fight, O’Malley and Vera have been trading barbs. “Sugar” has said he doesn’t consider the loss to be legit.

Cruz doesn’t have a fight booked and was last seen back in March. He earned a split-decision win over Casey Kenney.

Continue Reading Sean O’Malley Eyes Two Big Names For His Next Fight at MMA News.