

Dominick cruz how to#
He ruthlessly attacks the body, and knows how to play off his work to the legs and body to set up the kill shot to the head.Īs a wrestler, Benavidez has a deep understanding of how to implement his folkstyle background in mixed martial arts. On the feet, he is a combination counter puncher, he uses a power kicking game and some Duane Ludwig-inspired entries on the outside to trouble his opponents, punishing them with ugly, but brutal hooking combinations if they enter the pocket. Today, Joseph Benavidez has one of the most comprehensive skill-sets in the sport of mixed martial arts. Physical factors like chin and power factor in alongside more technical spheres. Quality Win #1: 2009 Joseph Benavidez (79)įighter rating are determined by how tough an out they are for any opponent, in a pound-for-pound sense. In fact, one fighter had an answer on the feet fairly early on. There is an existing narrative that no one could deal with Cruz’s “unorthodox” striking until he met TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt much later in his career. What set Cruz apart was how he capitalized on his mobility, picking up a few more advanced boxing techniques such as shifting, darts, pivots off entries, truly just the general theme of entering and exiting off angles was enough to trouble most fighters of his day in the WEC. The lower weight classes are proliferated by athletic wrestle-boxers, Cruz himself is no exception. Physicality is a factor, but Bowles was a fairly basic fighter, he never truly demonstrated the nuance or efficacy to prove himself as an elite.

The curve is based on the best MMA fighter(s) we’ve ever seen to this point, so the goalposts to reach “100” status will move as the sport continues to age and evolve.ĭespite holding a major title, someone like Brian Bowles does not quite make the cut as far as “ratings” are concerned. The essential questions to answer are, “how good was (Fighter X) at the time Dominick Cruz defeated them? How tough were they to beat in that specific fight?” If we’re lacking data, “what form were they in at that stage of their career?” Method of victory, dominance, or other measures, would only add layers of subjectivity and muddy the process.Īt the most basic level we’re evaluating how hard that fighter is to beat, in a pound-for-pound sense. Instead, as the preamble suggests, I will be justifying the ratings of some of Dominick Cruz’s quality wins, in chronological order. If you were hoping for a more striking-centric breakdown, BJJ Scout has a few very popular videos on Cruz’s game.

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Wrestling for MMA: Dominick Cruz (UFC Career) Wrestling for MMA: Dominick Cruz (WEC Career) The skills of Cruz himself will hardly be touched, but if you’re interested, I have broken down his wrestling-focused game in two separate articles. Today, we’ll be looking at the resume of Dominick Cruz, the greatest bantamweight of all time. For a more in-depth explanation of that system, you can check out my section of our collective rankings page, or this document containing my own list, which includes the individual ratings of each quality win for dozens of candidates. I personally believe the closest we can get to objectivity is to attempt to rate quality wins, rather than symbolic accomplishments or contribution to the sport. There is no unified criteria among MMA fans or analysts in determining the all-time greats of the sport. Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
