The bantamweight title bout was the main event of today’s UFC Fight Night 81 event at TD Garden in Boston. It aired on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.
The fight began with the expected amount of movement, with Dillashaw (12-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) primarily coming forward and throwing big strikes while Cruz (21-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) slipped them with head movement. Cruz almost took the back after a takedown, but there was nothing there before Dillawhaw got back to his feet. Cruz landed the first heavy shot of the fight, landing a solid step-in right hand.
Cruz threw a series of punches that forced Dillashaw backward before landing a leg kick. Dillashaw responded with a pair of good kicks to the body. He then stuffed a takedown attempt to close the opening frame.
Round 2 opened with Cruz still controlling the distance the fight took place at, which to the moment had been entirely in his favor. Dillashaw landed a nice right hand that at least temporarily slowed Cruz down. However, it was Cruz again moving in, hitting and then moving back out moments later.
Dillashaw finally landed a head kick and then a pair of punches to start his offense going in the right direction. Cruz landed a nice takedown as Dillashaw came in. While Dillashaw was able to get to his feet, Cruz scored another takedown, though the fighters quickly were back to the feet once again.
The third round featured Dillashaw coming out more aggressively and landing some good shots to the chin of Cruz. After pinning Cruz to the cage, Dillashaw landed a good right hand but couldn’t keep him from circling off the cage. The Dillashaw right hand became a much more effective weapon in the round, as he was able to land if off of other strikes.
Cruz scored with a takedown but again couldn’t keep the fight on the ground as Dillashaw scrambled effectively. Cruz did land a solid three-punch combination moments later, however, to keep the fight from slanting back in Dillashaw’s favor.
A fourth round leg kick by Dillashaw appeared to hurt the lead leg of Cruz, forcing him to shoot for a takedown. The concern over the leg appeared to concern Cruz slightly as he was caught by a pair of right hands moments later.
Dillashaw scored with a takedown and attempted to take the back, but Cruz managed to stand up and use cage grabs to keep his opponent from putting him back on his back. Dillashaw kept him against the cage and landed a series of hard knees to the thigh before they separated once again.
Cruz shot for another takedown toward the end of the round but was stuffed and ate some punches for his trouble.
Dillashaw came out for the final round with a focus on the leg kicks which opened up a big right hand and then a head kick, both which landed cleanly. Cruz answered with his own heavy shots but Dillashaw went back to the heavy body and leg kicks that had opened this up in the round for him.
The two men traded strikes as the fight neared its conclusion, both landing before the final horn.
At the conclusion, the rivals traded a high-five and a show of respect.
After five competitive rounds, the judges scored the fight 48-47, 46-49 and 49-46, awarding Cruz the split decision.
Cruz is now riding an 11-fight winning streak while Dillashaw had a four-fight winning streak snapped.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 81 results include:
- Dominick Cruz def. T.J. Dillashaw via split decision (48-47, 46-49, 49-46)
- Eddie Alvarez def. Anthony Pettis via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Travis Browne def. Matt Mitrione via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 4:09
- Francisco Trinaldo def. Ross Pearson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
- Patrick Cote def. Ben Saunders via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:14
- Ed Herman def. Tim Boetsch via TKO (knee and punches) – Round 2, 1:39
- Chris Wade def. Mehdi Baghdad via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:30
- Luke Sanders def. Maximo Blanco via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:38
- Paul Felder def. Daron Cruickshank via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 3:56
- Ilar Latifi def. Sean O’Connell via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:30
- Charles Rosa def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Rob Font def. Joey Gomez via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:13
- Francimar Barroso def. Elvis Mutapcic via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
No comments:
Post a Comment