Because he knows we’re all sick bastards who want to see this, UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz tweeted this pic of his right hand post-surgery and joked: Cruz “dislocated his middle finger at the knuckle.
Because he knows we’re all sick bastards who want to see this, UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz tweeted this pic of his right hand post-surgery and joked:
Cruz “dislocated his middle finger at the knuckle and tore ligaments and tendons” in the first round of his successful UFC on Versus 6 title defense bout against Demetrious Johnson. Cruz told ESPN.com: “It just hurt and felt off. My finger kept popping out of the socket.”
Cruz says the injury is pretty much exact to the left hand injury which forced him out of competition for six months. Cruz explained the great results from his left hand surgery to ESPN:
“After I got the surgery on my left hand the doctor said it would be stronger. And it’s true. It is stronger. He put an extra piece of tendon over the top of the knuckle so it’s braced for impact. He did some voodoo stuff with it that he drilled a hole through the knuckle and tied it so tight that there’s no way for that tendon to lift back up off the bone again. I really feel like it’s stronger than it was in the first place and I won’t have any issues with it anymore.”
Cruz recently had the similar surgery performed on his right hand by the same doctor who is based out of Chicago. While prepping for surgery, the Bantamweight champion had tweeted this picture:
with the caption:
It’s a shame to injure such a useful finger, it’s nice to see “The Dominator”‘ will make a full recovery.
“We like guys like that, we like guys that are exciting and guys that come out and fight. I don’t know, Pat’s a guy that we do like. He’s one of the guys that always brings it. He’s like, a lot of people were saying “you’re cutting Dan Hardy,” Dan Hardy comes to fight and always puts on wars. I like the Arturo Gatti type fighters. I like the guys who always bring it. And that’s what this is about. When you’re a fight fan you tune in to see fights and I like guys who do it.”
(Pat tried to take that thing down and landed directly in a guillotine. Props: @hypeordie)
“We like guys like that, we like guys that are exciting and guys that come out and fight. I don’t know, Pat’s a guy that we do like. He’s one of the guys that always brings it. He’s like, a lot of people were saying “you’re cutting Dan Hardy,” Dan Hardy comes to fight and always puts on wars. I like the Arturo Gatti type fighters. I like the guys who always bring it. And that’s what this is about. When you’re a fight fan you tune in to see fights and I like guys who do it.”
Barry is now 3-4 in his UFC career, with three of those losses by submission (and one loss via divine intervention). He’s always a threat as long as the fight remains standing, but he immediately becomes vulnerable once the fight hits the ground. Should Barry be allowed to keep his spot based on entertainment value? Or should he have to get a little more seasoning before he’s allowed back on MMA’s most elite stage?
Filed under: UFCIt’s not often that we see a title fight on free TV. As expected, Saturday night’s bantamweight contest at UFC on Versus 6 provided the full 25 minutes, and maybe showed some fans the difference between the lumbering heavyweights at the…
It’s not often that we see a title fight on free TV. As expected, Saturday night’s bantamweight contest at UFC on Versus 6 provided the full 25 minutes, and maybe showed some fans the difference between the lumbering heavyweights at the top of the MMA food chain and the swift little hummingbirds in the lighter divisions.
The 135-pounders may not be long on finishing power, but at least they keep coming without slowing down. They don’t overwhelm, but they also don’t run out of gas halfway through. Either you appreciate that or you don’t. After the performances of some of the heavyweights last weekend at UFC 135, I’m guessing a lot of fight fans do.
But now that another one is in the books, it’s time again to sift through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC on Versus 6.
Biggest Winner: Anthony Johnson
He said he wanted an exciting finish to silence the critics who weren’t too pleased about his strategy in the Dan Hardy fight. Kicking Brenneman in the face until he fell down was a good way to go about that. Fight fans have short enough memories that a good TKO win will make them forget all about the time you promised a slugfest and delivered a wrestling match instead. All it took was him placing his foot across another man’s face in as violent a fashion as possible. A very simple and reliable formula for changing public perception if there ever was one.
Biggest Loser: Charlie Brenneman
Fresh off his big win over Rick Story, he gets TKO’d by “Rumble” Johnson in a fight he was never really in. He can complain all he wants about the stoppage, but even before he got kicked in the face he was on wobbly legs, clinging to the fence rather than guarding his head. Maybe he could have fought on, but he wasn’t doing much fighting when he took a foot to the grill. I can’t blame a referee for watching that scene unfold and then deciding Brenneman was done. Now he goes from late-notice hero to just another welterweight in a crowded field. The fall was only slightly quicker than the rise, but looked far more painful.
Most Perfunctory Title Defense: Dominick Cruz
Okay, so it wasn’t the most dominant or impressive victory of his career. He looked mildly vulnerable at times and, most shockingly, even a little bit tired. Still, Cruz controlled the fight down the stretch and did what he had to do, so he goes home with the hardware. Was it a breakout performance that will make him a huge star? Probably not, but any night you leave with the title that you showed up with is a good night indeed. Cruz remains the best 135-pounder in the world, and he showed that he can dig down and gut one out when he needs to. In fact, the only thing he lacks at the moment is fresh, compelling challengers. Unfortunately for him, there’s not a lot he can do about that.
Worst Use of a Reach Advantage: Stefan Struve
While the fight stayed standing, he did very little to keep Barry at a distance. Despite having arms and legs that were about the size of Barry’s entire body, he just kept letting the smaller man walk him down. In fact, of all the problems Barry had in the fight, getting within striking distance seemed to be the least of his troubles. It was only once the fight hit the mat and Struve was on his back that he managed to put his long limbs to good use, locking up a triangle choke that Barry really should have seen coming. Again, Struve’s submissions game continues to sneak up on opponents, though it honestly shouldn’t. He’s won more fights that way than he has by any other method, so when will people stop thinking that it’s a good idea to grapple with him? As long as he uses his range so much better on the ground than he does on the feet, there’s little reason to take the Dutchman down.
Mr. Consistency: Paul Sass
I’ve heard MMA trainers say that what they really want is not a guy who can pull off every submission in the book, but a guy who has one or two good ones that he can nail on command. Sass has the triangle choke and the heel hook, and he doesn’t need anything else. With his heel hook of Michael Johnson he remained unbeaten in twelve pro fights, and he’s ended with a submission in eleven of those. You’d think that any opponent would be able to take a quick look at his record and know what to watch out for, and you’d be right. The fact that he keeps pulling those moves off anyway tells you just how good he is.
Most in Need of a Ground Game: Pat Barry
He’s a great kickboxer and a likeable guy, but at times it seems he can be finished by the merest suggestion of a submission. I don’t care how vicious your leg kicks are, if you can’t defend against a triangle choke any better than that you have a very limited future in the UFC. Barry’s had plenty of time to develop his overall game, and he has improved. Just not enough. The UFC has been somewhat kind to him in terms of matchmaking, largely keeping him away from the better grapplers in the heavyweight division, but still he finds ways to get submitted. It’s a shame, because he’s a lot of fun to watch when he’s in his element. It’s when he’s not that it gets ugly in a hurry.
Most in Need of an Ice Pack: Demetrious Johnson
He showed a lot of heart and did much better than most expected, but he’s still going home with a lump the size of a cueball in his face. That’s not something you can cover with a pair of sunglasses, either. All it takes is for you to roll over on it once in your sleep and your whole night is ruined. Though of course, losing a title fight probably has a similar effect.
Narrowest Margin of Victory: Matt Wiman
Watching him bounce around while the decision was read, I had a flashback to Wiman’s mini-freakout after the judges sided with Dennis Siver over him at UFC 132. That night he bolted from the cage like he’d left his car running out front. If the decision had gone the other way this time, he might have taken off through the streets of D.C. and been halfway to Florida by now. Fortunately for Wiman, he got the nod from the judges, but just barely. A guy who can’t take it when a squeaker doesn’t go his way should really learn to stop leaving it up to the judges. Or if he is going to go the distance, he could at least make it a little clearer who the winner and the loser was. Keeping it that close is a good way to go home disappointed.
Filed under: UFC, NewsFour fighters from Saturday’s UFC on Versus 6 card in Washington, D.C., added $65,000 bonus checks to their take-home pay after the show.
Stefan Struve, Anthony Johnson, Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig each took home post-fight bonus …
Four fighters from Saturday’s UFC on Versus 6 card in Washington, D.C., added $65,000 bonus checks to their take-home pay after the show.
Stefan Struve, Anthony Johnson, Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig each took home post-fight bonus awards for their performances in the final UFC event on the Versus channel. The post-fight awards were announced by UFC president Dana White after the card.
The $65,000 total equals the largest amount for a UFC show on either Versus or Spike, tying the $65,000 bonus awards that were handed out after UFC on Versus 5 in Milwaukee in August. UFC on Versus 6 was the promotion’s debut in the nation’s capital.
Struve, the tallest heavyweight in the UFC, fought the shortest heavyweight in what became a fun kickboxing bout. But when Struve got the fight to the ground and locked in a triangle in the co-main event, Barry used his power to muscle Struve to the sky for a massive slam with the triangle still locked in. Struve though, held the hold, sank it in even tighter and forced Barry to tap, giving Struve the Submission of the Night bonus. It was Barry’s second straight loss, the first losing streak of his career. In June, after nearly stopping Cheick Kongo, Kongo pulled off an epic comeback knockout victory.
“He kept me at bay with his kicks because those were landing hard and will definitely leave bruises tomorrow,” Struve said after the win. “I was eventually able to get him in the [choke], and once I locked it in I wasn’t letting it go. When he slammed me, I was able to put my arm down to catch myself and sink the submission in deeper.”
Johnson won Knockout of the Night for his head-kick finish of Charlie Brenneman on the main card. Though Brenneman popped back up quickly after Johnson’s left kick to the face, referee Mario Yamasaki had already stepped in to shut the fight down, and the official decision was a TKO for Johnson.
“I hit him hard quite a few times in a row and he didn’t look like he was all there,” Johnson said. “I landed that head kick and put him on the canvas. He looked done to me, but if that kick hadn’t have done it, the punches that would have come afterwards would have.”
And Wiman and Danzig rematched after a controversial ending to their first fight in June 2010 – and the reboot was worth the wait. The two battled for three rounds of back-and-forth that earned them Fight of the Night, with Wiman taking a unanimous 29-28 decision. At UFC 115, Wiman won when Yves Lavigne stopped the fight, believing Danzig was out from a choke. He was not, and it’s taken 16 months for the rematch, which was scheduled once but delayed with a Danzig injury.
“Mac did fantastic tonight and has nothing to be ashamed of, because I’ve been on that side of things too,” Wiman said. “But I can’t deny that it feels good to be on this side of things. You really never know what the judges are going think, and I’m just happy it fell to me this time.”
Struve got serious competition from Paul Sass, who submitted Michael Johnson with a heel hook on the preliminary card. Sass stayed unbeaten with the submission and now has 11 of his 12 career wins by tapout. And Wiman-Danzig got competition from the main event bantamweight title fight between champion Dominick Cruz and Demetrious Johnson. But it was likely Cruz’s large amount of time spent keeping Johnson pinned along the fence that kept them from the bonus.
This is the UFC on Versus 6 live blog for Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson, the main event bantamweight title fight of tonight’s UFC Live card from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) defends his bantamweight title for the fourth time. His first three successful defenses were decision wins over Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber. The win over Jorgensen came at the final WEC event, after which Cruz’s WEC title became a UFC belt. Johnson (9-1, 2-0 UFC) has won three straight, including a somewhat controversial unanimous decision win over former champion Miguel Torres at UFC 130 in May. That win got him a shot at Cruz’s belt.
Round 1: They’re saying this may be the fastest-paced fight in the the history of the UFC, and it’s hard to argue. It will be hard to keep up. Both fighters throw some kicks, and Johnson comes forward as Cruz backs up. Johnson shoots for a takedown 50 seconds in, but Cruz stuffs it and lands some shots. Cruz then gets off a nice throw as Johnson hits the canvas, and Cruz works to the top and tries to pass to side control. Johnson defending nicely so far as he looks to escape. Johnson continues to defend and gets to half guard, then butterfly guard. Finally, Johnson quickly gets out and back to his feet. Head kick from Johnson is caught by Cruz and Cruz takes the fight to the ground. Short-lived leg lock from Johnson turns into an escape from Cruz and side control. Back on the feet, Johnson lands a short takedown against the fence, but Cruz gets back up quickly and Johnson ties him up with a clinch, looking for short knees and elbows. Cruz ducks under nicely and gets out, but Johnson makes him pay with a couple shots as they break. Nice kick from Cruz. It’s a close first round, but it’s a round for the champ – 10-9 Cruz.
Round 2: Johnson comes forward very quickly again, and Cruz has to tie him up and it leads to a good takedown. Cruz has Johnson backed against the fence. As Johnson gets back up, Cruz lands a nice knee to the head. But Johnson shakes it off and pushes Cruz’s back to the fence. Another good knee from Cruz on the break. High kick from Cruz misses, and one from Johnson is blocked. Johnson shoots quickly, but Cruz stuffs it and we trade positions on the fence. They trade knees in the clinch on the fence. Halfway through, it’s another fast-paced and close round. Johnson drops down for a takedown, but it’s not there. Cruz just misses a big knee, and they split apart. Johnson lands a nice right, then comes with a flying knee that just misses, then a head kick that just misses. Good knee from Cruz, and Johnson shoots for a takedown that is mostly stuffed. Cruz then gets a soft takedown on the fence, and Johnson goes into butterfly guard. Cruz isn’t doing much from the top, but it probably gives him the round. We’ll give Round 2 to Cruz, 10-9.
Round 3: Good kick from Cruz, but Johnson still comes forward and throws a kick of his own. Nice right-left from Johnson inside. Cruz throws a jab, then goes for a takedown that Johnson stops. But Cruz ties him up, then throws a gorgeous suplex. Cruz takes Johnson’s back and flattens Johnson out. He’s got a right arm under and is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. He’s got it, both palms clenched together. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets the hold back immediately, then tries to turn it to a neck crank. But miraculously, Johnson escapes, gets to his feet, and gets off some offense along the fence. Cruz looks tired from the choke, but with 1:40 left, he shoots and gets another takedown and settles into Johnson’s butterfly guard on the fence. We’ve seen this spot before, and Cruz has done very little with the position. Johnson will look to wall walk back up. Crauz works some minor ground and pound and keeps Johnson pinned down. Finally, with 20 seconds left, Johnson gets back up. They trade some knees to the body along the fence as the round closes. It’s a 10-9 round for Cruz as we move into the championship rounds.
Round 4: Cruz has been this deep before. Johnson has not. He looks fresh as ever, though. Maybe fresher than Cruz. Inside leg kicks land for each. Spinning kick from Johnson misses. Looping left grazes Johnson, and he follows with a leg kick. They trade jabs and uppercuts that mostly just miss. Johnson appears to sting Cruz with a left, but Cruz moves in for a takedown along the fence – and gets it again. More butterfly guard for Johnson against the fence. Johnson continues to defend well from here, but as Cruz tries to pass, it is able to get his left leg out and gets to full mount. Johnson is holding on to Cruz to defend, and Cruz isn’t doing much with the position. Johnson quickly gets back to guard. Johnson gets back up with 90 seconds left and pushes forward look ing for some hands to the face. Cruz takes a deep breath with a minute left, and then is nipped by a Johnson right. They clinch up again, but Cruz bullies his way to half guard on the mat. When Johnson powers up, Cruz lands a nice kick and a punch, and Johnson just misses a couple shots as the round closes. It’s another 10-9 round for Cruz, and we have him up 40-36 going to the final round.
Round 5: Johnson comes hard to open, and JUST misses a big head kick that had all kinds of bad intentions. After a short potential flurry of just-misses, Cruz ties him up again, then lands another big suplex that might have been better than his first one that came in the third round. Johnson works to get back to full guard, and he gets there. Cruz tries to work some elbows from up top and shots to the body. The referee tells them to stay busy, and Johnson works back over to the cage to try to wall walk. Cruz is keeping him down, but halfway through Johnson gets back up. He has a half-round to land a knockout punch or a submission, is what it comes down to. And he does land a couple uppercuts and a kick as they break. But Cruz is like the mothership in “Independence Day”: Target remains. Another takedown from Cruz, but Mighty Mouse pops back up and looks for a tie up. But Cruz throws him again. Cruz has to survive 90 seconds to retain, and Johnson needs to swing for the home run ball. He comes forward, Cruz ducks under and shoots for an easy takedown. He then quickly passes and gets to full mount with 50 seconds left. He looks for Johnson’s back and Cruz is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets a knee in as they break taht seems to hurt. Cruz gets one final takedown to end things. We have it 10-9 for Cruz and 50-45 for Cruz in the fight. We might hear a 49-46, but this should be fairly unanimous and a sweep or near sweep for the champion.
Result: Dominick Cruz def. Demetrious Johnson, unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45) “I’ve been putting in a lot of work, and it was a tough fight,” Cruz told Joe Rogan after the fight. “The kid’s got a sick pace, so I had to outwrestle him. He didn’t surprise me. I was ready for a wicked grind, and a wicked pace. You’ve got to be able to switch up – you can’t fight everyone the same. I was looking for the finish – I had the choke in twice, and he toughed it out. He was gurgling and he just toughed it out, but that’s what you do for title fights.”
This is the UFC on Versus 6 live blog for Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson, the main event bantamweight title fight of tonight’s UFC Live card from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) defends his bantamweight title for the fourth time. His first three successful defenses were decision wins over Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber. The win over Jorgensen came at the final WEC event, after which Cruz’s WEC title became a UFC belt. Johnson (9-1, 2-0 UFC) has won three straight, including a somewhat controversial unanimous decision win over former champion Miguel Torres at UFC 130 in May. That win got him a shot at Cruz’s belt.
Round 1: They’re saying this may be the fastest-paced fight in the the history of the UFC, and it’s hard to argue. It will be hard to keep up. Both fighters throw some kicks, and Johnson comes forward as Cruz backs up. Johnson shoots for a takedown 50 seconds in, but Cruz stuffs it and lands some shots. Cruz then gets off a nice throw as Johnson hits the canvas, and Cruz works to the top and tries to pass to side control. Johnson defending nicely so far as he looks to escape. Johnson continues to defend and gets to half guard, then butterfly guard. Finally, Johnson quickly gets out and back to his feet. Head kick from Johnson is caught by Cruz and Cruz takes the fight to the ground. Short-lived leg lock from Johnson turns into an escape from Cruz and side control. Back on the feet, Johnson lands a short takedown against the fence, but Cruz gets back up quickly and Johnson ties him up with a clinch, looking for short knees and elbows. Cruz ducks under nicely and gets out, but Johnson makes him pay with a couple shots as they break. Nice kick from Cruz. It’s a close first round, but it’s a round for the champ – 10-9 Cruz.
Round 2: Johnson comes forward very quickly again, and Cruz has to tie him up and it leads to a good takedown. Cruz has Johnson backed against the fence. As Johnson gets back up, Cruz lands a nice knee to the head. But Johnson shakes it off and pushes Cruz’s back to the fence. Another good knee from Cruz on the break. High kick from Cruz misses, and one from Johnson is blocked. Johnson shoots quickly, but Cruz stuffs it and we trade positions on the fence. They trade knees in the clinch on the fence. Halfway through, it’s another fast-paced and close round. Johnson drops down for a takedown, but it’s not there. Cruz just misses a big knee, and they split apart. Johnson lands a nice right, then comes with a flying knee that just misses, then a head kick that just misses. Good knee from Cruz, and Johnson shoots for a takedown that is mostly stuffed. Cruz then gets a soft takedown on the fence, and Johnson goes into butterfly guard. Cruz isn’t doing much from the top, but it probably gives him the round. We’ll give Round 2 to Cruz, 10-9.
Round 3: Good kick from Cruz, but Johnson still comes forward and throws a kick of his own. Nice right-left from Johnson inside. Cruz throws a jab, then goes for a takedown that Johnson stops. But Cruz ties him up, then throws a gorgeous suplex. Cruz takes Johnson’s back and flattens Johnson out. He’s got a right arm under and is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. He’s got it, both palms clenched together. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets the hold back immediately, then tries to turn it to a neck crank. But miraculously, Johnson escapes, gets to his feet, and gets off some offense along the fence. Cruz looks tired from the choke, but with 1:40 left, he shoots and gets another takedown and settles into Johnson’s butterfly guard on the fence. We’ve seen this spot before, and Cruz has done very little with the position. Johnson will look to wall walk back up. Crauz works some minor ground and pound and keeps Johnson pinned down. Finally, with 20 seconds left, Johnson gets back up. They trade some knees to the body along the fence as the round closes. It’s a 10-9 round for Cruz as we move into the championship rounds.
Round 4: Cruz has been this deep before. Johnson has not. He looks fresh as ever, though. Maybe fresher than Cruz. Inside leg kicks land for each. Spinning kick from Johnson misses. Looping left grazes Johnson, and he follows with a leg kick. They trade jabs and uppercuts that mostly just miss. Johnson appears to sting Cruz with a left, but Cruz moves in for a takedown along the fence – and gets it again. More butterfly guard for Johnson against the fence. Johnson continues to defend well from here, but as Cruz tries to pass, it is able to get his left leg out and gets to full mount. Johnson is holding on to Cruz to defend, and Cruz isn’t doing much with the position. Johnson quickly gets back to guard. Johnson gets back up with 90 seconds left and pushes forward look ing for some hands to the face. Cruz takes a deep breath with a minute left, and then is nipped by a Johnson right. They clinch up again, but Cruz bullies his way to half guard on the mat. When Johnson powers up, Cruz lands a nice kick and a punch, and Johnson just misses a couple shots as the round closes. It’s another 10-9 round for Cruz, and we have him up 40-36 going to the final round.
Round 5: Johnson comes hard to open, and JUST misses a big head kick that had all kinds of bad intentions. After a short potential flurry of just-misses, Cruz ties him up again, then lands another big suplex that might have been better than his first one that came in the third round. Johnson works to get back to full guard, and he gets there. Cruz tries to work some elbows from up top and shots to the body. The referee tells them to stay busy, and Johnson works back over to the cage to try to wall walk. Cruz is keeping him down, but halfway through Johnson gets back up. He has a half-round to land a knockout punch or a submission, is what it comes down to. And he does land a couple uppercuts and a kick as they break. But Cruz is like the mothership in “Independence Day”: Target remains. Another takedown from Cruz, but Mighty Mouse pops back up and looks for a tie up. But Cruz throws him again. Cruz has to survive 90 seconds to retain, and Johnson needs to swing for the home run ball. He comes forward, Cruz ducks under and shoots for an easy takedown. He then quickly passes and gets to full mount with 50 seconds left. He looks for Johnson’s back and Cruz is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets a knee in as they break taht seems to hurt. Cruz gets one final takedown to end things. We have it 10-9 for Cruz and 50-45 for Cruz in the fight. We might hear a 49-46, but this should be fairly unanimous and a sweep or near sweep for the champion.
Result: Dominick Cruz def. Demetrious Johnson, unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45) “I’ve been putting in a lot of work, and it was a tough fight,” Cruz told Joe Rogan after the fight. “The kid’s got a sick pace, so I had to outwrestle him. He didn’t surprise me. I was ready for a wicked grind, and a wicked pace. You’ve got to be able to switch up – you can’t fight everyone the same. I was looking for the finish – I had the choke in twice, and he toughed it out. He was gurgling and he just toughed it out, but that’s what you do for title fights.”
This is the UFC on Versus 6 live blog for Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson, the main event bantamweight title fight of tonight’s UFC Live card from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) defends his bantamweight title for the fourth time. His first three successful defenses were decision wins over Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber. The win over Jorgensen came at the final WEC event, after which Cruz’s WEC title became a UFC belt. Johnson (9-1, 2-0 UFC) has won three straight, including a somewhat controversial unanimous decision win over former champion Miguel Torres at UFC 130 in May. That win got him a shot at Cruz’s belt.
Round 1: They’re saying this may be the fastest-paced fight in the the history of the UFC, and it’s hard to argue. It will be hard to keep up. Both fighters throw some kicks, and Johnson comes forward as Cruz backs up. Johnson shoots for a takedown 50 seconds in, but Cruz stuffs it and lands some shots. Cruz then gets off a nice throw as Johnson hits the canvas, and Cruz works to the top and tries to pass to side control. Johnson defending nicely so far as he looks to escape. Johnson continues to defend and gets to half guard, then butterfly guard. Finally, Johnson quickly gets out and back to his feet. Head kick from Johnson is caught by Cruz and Cruz takes the fight to the ground. Short-lived leg lock from Johnson turns into an escape from Cruz and side control. Back on the feet, Johnson lands a short takedown against the fence, but Cruz gets back up quickly and Johnson ties him up with a clinch, looking for short knees and elbows. Cruz ducks under nicely and gets out, but Johnson makes him pay with a couple shots as they break. Nice kick from Cruz. It’s a close first round, but it’s a round for the champ – 10-9 Cruz.
Round 2: Johnson comes forward very quickly again, and Cruz has to tie him up and it leads to a good takedown. Cruz has Johnson backed against the fence. As Johnson gets back up, Cruz lands a nice knee to the head. But Johnson shakes it off and pushes Cruz’s back to the fence. Another good knee from Cruz on the break. High kick from Cruz misses, and one from Johnson is blocked. Johnson shoots quickly, but Cruz stuffs it and we trade positions on the fence. They trade knees in the clinch on the fence. Halfway through, it’s another fast-paced and close round. Johnson drops down for a takedown, but it’s not there. Cruz just misses a big knee, and they split apart. Johnson lands a nice right, then comes with a flying knee that just misses, then a head kick that just misses. Good knee from Cruz, and Johnson shoots for a takedown that is mostly stuffed. Cruz then gets a soft takedown on the fence, and Johnson goes into butterfly guard. Cruz isn’t doing much from the top, but it probably gives him the round. We’ll give Round 2 to Cruz, 10-9.
Round 3: Good kick from Cruz, but Johnson still comes forward and throws a kick of his own. Nice right-left from Johnson inside. Cruz throws a jab, then goes for a takedown that Johnson stops. But Cruz ties him up, then throws a gorgeous suplex. Cruz takes Johnson’s back and flattens Johnson out. He’s got a right arm under and is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. He’s got it, both palms clenched together. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets the hold back immediately, then tries to turn it to a neck crank. But miraculously, Johnson escapes, gets to his feet, and gets off some offense along the fence. Cruz looks tired from the choke, but with 1:40 left, he shoots and gets another takedown and settles into Johnson’s butterfly guard on the fence. We’ve seen this spot before, and Cruz has done very little with the position. Johnson will look to wall walk back up. Crauz works some minor ground and pound and keeps Johnson pinned down. Finally, with 20 seconds left, Johnson gets back up. They trade some knees to the body along the fence as the round closes. It’s a 10-9 round for Cruz as we move into the championship rounds.
Round 4: Cruz has been this deep before. Johnson has not. He looks fresh as ever, though. Maybe fresher than Cruz. Inside leg kicks land for each. Spinning kick from Johnson misses. Looping left grazes Johnson, and he follows with a leg kick. They trade jabs and uppercuts that mostly just miss. Johnson appears to sting Cruz with a left, but Cruz moves in for a takedown along the fence – and gets it again. More butterfly guard for Johnson against the fence. Johnson continues to defend well from here, but as Cruz tries to pass, it is able to get his left leg out and gets to full mount. Johnson is holding on to Cruz to defend, and Cruz isn’t doing much with the position. Johnson quickly gets back to guard. Johnson gets back up with 90 seconds left and pushes forward look ing for some hands to the face. Cruz takes a deep breath with a minute left, and then is nipped by a Johnson right. They clinch up again, but Cruz bullies his way to half guard on the mat. When Johnson powers up, Cruz lands a nice kick and a punch, and Johnson just misses a couple shots as the round closes. It’s another 10-9 round for Cruz, and we have him up 40-36 going to the final round.
Round 5: Johnson comes hard to open, and JUST misses a big head kick that had all kinds of bad intentions. After a short potential flurry of just-misses, Cruz ties him up again, then lands another big suplex that might have been better than his first one that came in the third round. Johnson works to get back to full guard, and he gets there. Cruz tries to work some elbows from up top and shots to the body. The referee tells them to stay busy, and Johnson works back over to the cage to try to wall walk. Cruz is keeping him down, but halfway through Johnson gets back up. He has a half-round to land a knockout punch or a submission, is what it comes down to. And he does land a couple uppercuts and a kick as they break. But Cruz is like the mothership in “Independence Day”: Target remains. Another takedown from Cruz, but Mighty Mouse pops back up and looks for a tie up. But Cruz throws him again. Cruz has to survive 90 seconds to retain, and Johnson needs to swing for the home run ball. He comes forward, Cruz ducks under and shoots for an easy takedown. He then quickly passes and gets to full mount with 50 seconds left. He looks for Johnson’s back and Cruz is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets a knee in as they break taht seems to hurt. Cruz gets one final takedown to end things. We have it 10-9 for Cruz and 50-45 for Cruz in the fight. We might hear a 49-46, but this should be fairly unanimous and a sweep or near sweep for the champion.
Result: Dominick Cruz def. Demetrious Johnson, unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45) “I’ve been putting in a lot of work, and it was a tough fight,” Cruz told Joe Rogan after the fight. “The kid’s got a sick pace, so I had to outwrestle him. He didn’t surprise me. I was ready for a wicked grind, and a wicked pace. You’ve got to be able to switch up – you can’t fight everyone the same. I was looking for the finish – I had the choke in twice, and he toughed it out. He was gurgling and he just toughed it out, but that’s what you do for title fights.”
This is the UFC on Versus 6 live blog for Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson, the main event bantamweight title fight of tonight’s UFC Live card from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Cruz (18-1, 1-0 UFC) defends his bantamweight title for the fourth time. His first three successful defenses were decision wins over Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber. The win over Jorgensen came at the final WEC event, after which Cruz’s WEC title became a UFC belt. Johnson (9-1, 2-0 UFC) has won three straight, including a somewhat controversial unanimous decision win over former champion Miguel Torres at UFC 130 in May. That win got him a shot at Cruz’s belt.
Round 1: They’re saying this may be the fastest-paced fight in the the history of the UFC, and it’s hard to argue. It will be hard to keep up. Both fighters throw some kicks, and Johnson comes forward as Cruz backs up. Johnson shoots for a takedown 50 seconds in, but Cruz stuffs it and lands some shots. Cruz then gets off a nice throw as Johnson hits the canvas, and Cruz works to the top and tries to pass to side control. Johnson defending nicely so far as he looks to escape. Johnson continues to defend and gets to half guard, then butterfly guard. Finally, Johnson quickly gets out and back to his feet. Head kick from Johnson is caught by Cruz and Cruz takes the fight to the ground. Short-lived leg lock from Johnson turns into an escape from Cruz and side control. Back on the feet, Johnson lands a short takedown against the fence, but Cruz gets back up quickly and Johnson ties him up with a clinch, looking for short knees and elbows. Cruz ducks under nicely and gets out, but Johnson makes him pay with a couple shots as they break. Nice kick from Cruz. It’s a close first round, but it’s a round for the champ – 10-9 Cruz.
Round 2: Johnson comes forward very quickly again, and Cruz has to tie him up and it leads to a good takedown. Cruz has Johnson backed against the fence. As Johnson gets back up, Cruz lands a nice knee to the head. But Johnson shakes it off and pushes Cruz’s back to the fence. Another good knee from Cruz on the break. High kick from Cruz misses, and one from Johnson is blocked. Johnson shoots quickly, but Cruz stuffs it and we trade positions on the fence. They trade knees in the clinch on the fence. Halfway through, it’s another fast-paced and close round. Johnson drops down for a takedown, but it’s not there. Cruz just misses a big knee, and they split apart. Johnson lands a nice right, then comes with a flying knee that just misses, then a head kick that just misses. Good knee from Cruz, and Johnson shoots for a takedown that is mostly stuffed. Cruz then gets a soft takedown on the fence, and Johnson goes into butterfly guard. Cruz isn’t doing much from the top, but it probably gives him the round. We’ll give Round 2 to Cruz, 10-9.
Round 3: Good kick from Cruz, but Johnson still comes forward and throws a kick of his own. Nice right-left from Johnson inside. Cruz throws a jab, then goes for a takedown that Johnson stops. But Cruz ties him up, then throws a gorgeous suplex. Cruz takes Johnson’s back and flattens Johnson out. He’s got a right arm under and is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. He’s got it, both palms clenched together. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets the hold back immediately, then tries to turn it to a neck crank. But miraculously, Johnson escapes, gets to his feet, and gets off some offense along the fence. Cruz looks tired from the choke, but with 1:40 left, he shoots and gets another takedown and settles into Johnson’s butterfly guard on the fence. We’ve seen this spot before, and Cruz has done very little with the position. Johnson will look to wall walk back up. Crauz works some minor ground and pound and keeps Johnson pinned down. Finally, with 20 seconds left, Johnson gets back up. They trade some knees to the body along the fence as the round closes. It’s a 10-9 round for Cruz as we move into the championship rounds.
Round 4: Cruz has been this deep before. Johnson has not. He looks fresh as ever, though. Maybe fresher than Cruz. Inside leg kicks land for each. Spinning kick from Johnson misses. Looping left grazes Johnson, and he follows with a leg kick. They trade jabs and uppercuts that mostly just miss. Johnson appears to sting Cruz with a left, but Cruz moves in for a takedown along the fence – and gets it again. More butterfly guard for Johnson against the fence. Johnson continues to defend well from here, but as Cruz tries to pass, it is able to get his left leg out and gets to full mount. Johnson is holding on to Cruz to defend, and Cruz isn’t doing much with the position. Johnson quickly gets back to guard. Johnson gets back up with 90 seconds left and pushes forward look ing for some hands to the face. Cruz takes a deep breath with a minute left, and then is nipped by a Johnson right. They clinch up again, but Cruz bullies his way to half guard on the mat. When Johnson powers up, Cruz lands a nice kick and a punch, and Johnson just misses a couple shots as the round closes. It’s another 10-9 round for Cruz, and we have him up 40-36 going to the final round.
Round 5: Johnson comes hard to open, and JUST misses a big head kick that had all kinds of bad intentions. After a short potential flurry of just-misses, Cruz ties him up again, then lands another big suplex that might have been better than his first one that came in the third round. Johnson works to get back to full guard, and he gets there. Cruz tries to work some elbows from up top and shots to the body. The referee tells them to stay busy, and Johnson works back over to the cage to try to wall walk. Cruz is keeping him down, but halfway through Johnson gets back up. He has a half-round to land a knockout punch or a submission, is what it comes down to. And he does land a couple uppercuts and a kick as they break. But Cruz is like the mothership in “Independence Day”: Target remains. Another takedown from Cruz, but Mighty Mouse pops back up and looks for a tie up. But Cruz throws him again. Cruz has to survive 90 seconds to retain, and Johnson needs to swing for the home run ball. He comes forward, Cruz ducks under and shoots for an easy takedown. He then quickly passes and gets to full mount with 50 seconds left. He looks for Johnson’s back and Cruz is looking for a rear naked choke to end it. But Johnson gets out, and Cruz gets a knee in as they break taht seems to hurt. Cruz gets one final takedown to end things. We have it 10-9 for Cruz and 50-45 for Cruz in the fight. We might hear a 49-46, but this should be fairly unanimous and a sweep or near sweep for the champion.
Result: Dominick Cruz def. Demetrious Johnson, unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 50-45) “I’ve been putting in a lot of work, and it was a tough fight,” Cruz told Joe Rogan after the fight. “The kid’s got a sick pace, so I had to outwrestle him. He didn’t surprise me. I was ready for a wicked grind, and a wicked pace. You’ve got to be able to switch up – you can’t fight everyone the same. I was looking for the finish – I had the choke in twice, and he toughed it out. He was gurgling and he just toughed it out, but that’s what you do for title fights.”
It’s not often that we see a title fight on free TV. As expected, Saturday night’s bantamweight contest at 
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