Tag: Dominick Cruz

video review : Jack Hermansson versus Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night

video review : Jack Hermansson versus Joe Pyfer at UFC Fight Night

Don’t be Joe Pyfer. The prospect downplayed Jack Hermansson during the prefight buildup; “I just don’t see him being able to hurt me, man”; and gets schooled. “Jack was better tonight,” the new bit goes as a humbled Pyfer accepts defeat.

He (Pyfer) clearly wins the first round and probably the second. That’s to his credit. As the bout goes on though, thanks in part to a punch to the eye and some crafty calf kicks, Hermansson, as Daniel Cormier so eloquently puts it, “kinda took over”.

my rating : 4 of 5

2024

video review : Alexa Grasso versus Valentina Shevchenko at UFC Fight Night

video review : Alexa Grasso versus Valentina Shevchenko at UFC Fight Night

This is a close fight that results in a draw. Valentina Shevchenko suggests she would’ve won if not for the judges feeling pressured not to make Alexa Grasso lose her Championship title on Mexican Independence Day. A “10-8” Round 5 score for Grasso, which even the commentators imply is ridiculous, suggests she’s probably right.

Grasso wins in cuteness, even when bloody and bruised, but not much else as Shevchenko is generally the better fighter. It’s no blowout though by any means. Grasso fights like a champion, ending the bout with an impressively snappy submission attempt, and seems to think she actually (literally) won during her post-fight interview.

my rating : 4 of 5

2023

video review : Pedro Munhoz versus Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235

video review : Pedro Munhoz versus Cody Garbrandt at UFC 235

“What a crazy decision,” Joe Rogan exclaims in response to Cody Garbrandt suddenly going from pro MMA fighter to sloppy street brawler near the end of Round 1, but what he probably wanted to say was “stupid”.

It was apparently an emotional (angry) reaction to an inadvertent headbutt that made Garbrandt go wild; trading punches hard and fast with little to no defense; which results in his third knockout loss in a row.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019

video review : Polyana Viana versus Jinh Yu Frey at UFC Fight Night

video review : Polyana Viana versus Jinh Yu Frey at UFC Fight Night

This fight is short and sexy thanks mostly to Polyana Viana; easily one of the prettiest women in the UFC. Jinh Yu Frey isn’t bad herself; her skin tone is perfect; but, despite a clear arm-muscle advantage, she’s outmatched here. A “beautiful” combination of punches less than a minute in is all it takes to put her on her ass. Viana then takes a cue from Yoel Romero and follows it up with a kiss.

my rating : 4 of 5

2022

video review : Johnny Walker versus Jamahal Hill at UFC Fight Night

video review : Johnny Walker versus Jamahal Hill at UFC Fight Night

Johnny Walker fights usually end with him either knocking someone out or getting knocked out and this bout is no exception. Jamahal Hill finishes him with a punch to the forehead, of all places, which, after being dropped twice by Ryan Spann when they fought, suggests he simply can’t take a punch. Perhaps it’s that same brain defect that makes his body react in cartoonishly amusing ways. Here he goes unconscious after a delayed back flop à la Ric Flair.

my rating : 3 of 5

2022

video review : Miranda Maverick versus Maycee Barber at UFC Fight Night

video review : Miranda Maverick versus Maycee Barber at UFC Fight Night

Daniel Cormier makes it seem like this wasn’t close. His objections after the fight suggest there’s something wrong with the judges, but, while I think Miranda Maverick won it, I would’ve been okay with the decision either way. Her pressure gives her the first round, but she can’t keep it up. By round three, she seems to be nearly exhausted as Maycee Barber puts it on her.

“I definitely had a good fight with her,” Barber says in her interview; Daniel Cormier is all smiles in her face; and I agree, though the ending seems a bit anticlimactic. I’ve been anticipating this bout since UFC 260 and I wanted two more rounds dammit. If it were a five-rounder, perhaps Barber would’ve finished her. Perhaps not. Miranda Maverick is a tough girl.

my rating : 4 of 5

2021

video review : Dominick Cruz versus Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207

video review : Dominick Cruz versus Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207

Dominick Cruz is the better trash talker; the lead-up to this fight was even more entertaining than the fight itself; but Cody Garbrandt gets the last laugh, sometimes literally as he mocks his opponent for nearly the entire bout, displaying some slick dance moves in the process. Rounds 3 and 4 are especially tough for the now former Bantamweight Champion, who’s knocked down and nearly out more than once.

my rating : 4 of 5

2016

video review : Uriah Hall versus Paulo Costa at UFC 226

video review : Uriah Hall versus Paulo Costa at UFC 226

Uriah Hall might’ve won this fight if he were more evasive. Instead of sticking and moving, he stays planted in front of powerhouse Paulo Costa, where he does find some success. That comes mostly in the form of a “nasty” jab that bloodies Costa’s face in the very first round. He gets tagged and knocked down (out) in the second.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018