D. Cruz (photo) was once again the bantamweight champion. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
It was almost five years of ordeal. With serious problems due to successive injuries and the loss of the bantamweight belt, Dominick Cruz is officially back and as the UFC 61,2 kg champion. Cruz's triumph came with a split decision victory in a mind-boggling fight at UFC Fight Night 81, in the early hours of this Monday (18) in Boston (USA), marked by a show of technique from both fighters and a lot of speed .
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After the fight, Cruz commented on his path of overcoming inside and outside the octagon. “Honestly, no one is going to retire me! The big surprise is that I still have something to show for myself. I've seen guys who move well in the octagon, but he's the best. Faber, despite not liking him, moves well, but TJ took me to another level. I don’t rest and I won’t rest while I still have something to work hard for”, said the new champion.
Dillashaw, on the other hand, regretted the result, but praised his rival for his victorious performance. “I was very disappointed, I thought I had won and set the pace. But it's my fault, I could have done more in the fight. I thought I had won the last three rounds, but I knew it was a close fight. I wanted to congratulate Cruz on his comeback. I was never a fan of his, but he is to be congratulated”, he guaranteed.
Now Dominick Cruz has a professional record of 21 wins and just one loss. Already TJ Dillashaw has a record of 12 triumphs and three setbacks.
The fight
Cruz and Dillashaw started with their guard down and with a very similar style. The challenger was the first to connect blows to the face, but the champion tried to respond with a high kick, which was promptly blocked. Cruz's movement continued to make it difficult for Dillashaw to touch him, but the session still had some moments of striking.
In the second round, there was more balance between the opponents, but Dillashaw managed to connect successive blows for the first time. However, it was enough for the champion to react and Cruz managed two consecutive takedowns to take the lead in the round.
Cruz's advantage expanded in the third half, with Dillashaw having even more difficulty finding him in the octagon and once again being taken down. At the end of the round, the challenger still had a good moment and landed a good sequence on the champion, even shaking him with a overhead in the second ending.
In the penultimate round, Dillashaw balanced his actions and managed to have good moments, also in striking, but mainly in the grid game. The champion took advantage of the challenger's mistake and almost got his back, but Cruz defended himself and the fight ended in the big one, where TJ dominated and attacked his rival. Despite this, however, Cruz still managed to open a cut on his opponent's eyebrow.
In the decisive part, finally, Dominick began to show signs of fatigue and the fight remained balanced. With good moments for both sides, neither athlete managed a takedown and the duel was marked by moments of frank exchanges.
At the end of the fight, Dominick Cruz was declared
Check out the UFC Fight Night 81 results below:
MAIN CARD
Roosters: TJ Dillashaw x Dominick Cruz
Mild: Eddie Alvarez won Anthony Pettis in a split decision by the judges (29 x 28, 28 x 29 and 29 x 28);
Heavy: Travis Browne knocked out (punches and elbows) Matt Mitrione at 4:09 of R3;
Mild: Francisco Massaranduba beat Ross Pearson in a unanimous decision by the judges (30 x 27, 30 x 27 and 29 x 28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Welterweights: Patrick Cote knocked out (punches) Ben Saunders at 1m15s of R3;
Light heavyweights: Ed Herman knocked out (knee and punches) Tim Boetsch at 1m39s of R2;
Mild: Chris Wade submitted (rear naked choke) Mehdi Baghdad 4m30s to R1;
Feathers: Luke sanders submitted Maximo Blanco at 3m36s of R1;
Mild: Paul felder submitted (rear naked choke) Daron Cruickshank at 3:56 of R3
Light heavyweights: Ilir Latifi knocked out (overhead) Sean O'Connell at 30s of R1;
Feathers: Charles Rosa beat Kyle Bochniak in a unanimous decision by the judges (30×27, 29×28 and 29×28);
Roosters: Rob font knocked out (punches) Joey Gomez at 4:13 of R2;
Light heavyweight: Francimar Bodão beat Elvis Mutapcic in a unanimous decision by the judges (30×27, 29×28 and 30×27).
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