Garbrandt vows to figure out Cruz’s style in three minutes, or so

Dominick Cruz has the most innovative style in elite mixed martial arts. The sole loss on his record was nearly a decade ago.

He works from a base of fundamental movements, beginning with the most fundamental.

Step Drag: in four directions, double step, forward and back
Shifting: Muay Thai base switch, Ali Shuffle, Stepping
Pivoting: 90 forward, 90 back (head forward and back), pivot 180 back
Striding: Step forward, Wrong step forward, Sprint forward, Backpedal
Circling: With lunge, With shuffle, Reverse switch
Hopping: Forward, Back, Forward and back, Open-Close
Crouching: Level change, Philly Shell

These basic footwork movements can be combined into a flow chart of movements that with the addition of striking is characteristically simultaneously offense and defense.

Cruz’s game is built around a simple premise. If you can keep yourself safe, and know what the other fighter is going to do, then you will win. Cruz is the least hit fighter in the division, and as noted has not lost in close to ten years.

Everything in fighting is a set up. Any strike, any takedown, any submission without a set up is anti-fighting, it is setting yourself up to be countered.

Cruz’s most fundamental set up is a hop forward into a crouched Philly Shell, with the head off center and out of the pocket. First time or multiple times, he immediately hops back and sometimes lunges sideways, reading the opponent’s reaction safely. Then Cruz beats him up accordingly.

If you do nothing, he will hop in with a jab. If you then shell up, he will flurry. If you shell and back up, he will flurry while moving forward.

If you jab, he will come out of the shell with an uppercut. But because his head started off center, his head is doing a huge slip as he uppercuts.

If you set down and fire, he’s already changed his level, and will double leg you.

Among his most common attacks from the outside is a wrong stepping punch. After he can immediately slide into a stance, pivot to the opposite stance, or stride through and pivot, escaping your attack, and leaving you open to his.

He will also underhook instead of punching with a wrong step, and when you pummel back, he knee taps you to the mat. Knee taps don’t provide a particularly secure takedown, but they build up points, and demoralize and tire the opponent.

If you like to see guys stand and trade until one falls over with a concussion, Dominick Cruz is not your favorite fighter. If you are a student of the evolution of mixed martial arts, he is your favotire fighter. Doesn’t hurt that a large part of his inspiration is Muhammad Ali.

Cruz fights Cody Garbrandt later this month. Garbrandt is not impressed, and during a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour said that it will take about three minutes to figure out Cruz’s style.

“I have very good movement, good measuring and good accuracy, good pressure,” said Garbrandt, as transcribed by Adam Guillen Jr. for MMA Mania. “He’s not the same fighter he was. He’s slowing down, he has two busted knees and his hands are all busted up. He’s an old man in there. I think he’s going to have a good maybe three minutes of that movement and I will figure him out.

“My trainers and training partners have prepped me well for his movements. He uses the same movements as he has in the past five, six years. He hasn’t changed and he hasn’t evolved as a fighter and I am looking forward to dissecting him and dethroning him.”

Dominick Cruz fights Cody Garbrandt in the co-main event of UFC 207 on December 30.