Breaking Down WEC 53: Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

Added on Dec 16, 2010 by John Petit in

UFC & MMA

Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen
UFC/WEC Bantamweight Championship

People seemed to miss classify the striking of Cruz, as his standup can be puzzling. Very few people are as hard to figure out on the feet in mixed martial arts. Much like former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, he uses his angles, feints, foot work, and level changes to really confuse his opponents. This leaves his opponents confused as to where he is coming from, and where he might end up when he is finished attacking. Cruz has a macho way of closing the distance and throwing punches. You can see that he sometime closes in with no regard at all, and has his hands down and chin out. This seems to work for him. This is always a dangerous roll of the dice, but its hard to tell the champ to completely abandon his game. The best way to stop a guy like this, is to put them on a short leash and close the distance with a lot of pressure. The other thing you will need is a strong right counter cocked and loaded at all times when your opponent lunges in. Using leg kicks is a good idea as well if you aren’t afraid of the takedown.

While Cruz is going to be bringing a flashy style, Jorgenson is a “roll up your sleeves, and lets fight” type. He is the type of guy who has the ability to take a punch, the ability to recover, and is able to quickly go back on the offense. He can also fight at a fast pace if he has to, and has a decent take down game. The bad news is Cruz has the ability to dictate where the fight goes, with his quality takedown defense, and that gives him the edge in the standup.

To come away with the win, Jorgensen will have to put the holes in Cruz’s game on display, and really suck this fight into the championship rounds. Scott has to be able to get Cruz to the floor, and he has to be able to hold him down and control him when he does. If you see Cruz jump right back up to his feet, expect a long night for Jorgensen. When he does get Cruz there, if he can land some ground and pound and suck some of the life out of Cruz, he will have an advantage late in the fight.

Again, Cruz is hard to time, and its even tougher under the lights and under fight time pressures. He jumps in, he throws his strikes, and he leaves you with a smile on your face while you pretend it didn’t hurt. He has made a few fighters look almost silly with his ability to stick and move. If Jorgensen doesn’t figure it out fast, I would expect him to just come charging forward and try to pin Cruz against the fence. Thats a dangerous plan, but its much smarter then trying to stand and trade with Dominick Cruz.

This fight will answer a lot of questions. Jorgensen needs to turn this into 25 minute war to get this win tonight. He has a solid right hand, and a tough chin to do it, but it will look ugly. If he decides to stand around trying to counter Cruz, I think Cruz will overwhelm him early in this fight. I think this will be a hell of a fight, and I expect Jorgensen to have a great performance, but I see Cruz either getting the late win or the Decision.

The Winner walks away as the first UFC Bantamweight Champion of the World. This fight is history brothers and sisters, and the winner is going home with two belts!