When the Octagon door shuts on Dominick Cruz at UFC 178, it will be his first time in competition since October 2011.
The former bantamweight champion has faced a myriad of injuries, but he’s finally back on the quest to obtain the belt he never lost. Standing in front of him is Takeya Mizugaki, who is on a “quiet” five-fight winning streak. Both competitors have a lot to gain from this fight. With that in mind, here is a look at the keys to victory for both athletes.
For Cruz mobility is, and always will be, vital to his fighting style. The Alliance MMA representative will have to add that back to his game on Saturday.
The question is whether or not he will be able to, considering he’s had two surgeries to correct a torn ACL along with a groin injury (MMA Fighting). All of these injuries have the potential to hamper a fighter who leaned on his ability to move in and out while striking and evading with ease.
According to Fight Metric, Cruz’s defensive capabilities were a hallmark of his fighting style. He absorbed only 1.86 strikes per second and has an overall defense rating of 76 percent. His defensive wrestling is just as strong, as he defends 83 percent of all takedowns thrown his way.
All of these statistics show just how important consistent movement is to his game. If he can tap into his rare form, it will be a major step toward victory.
On the other side of the cage will be Mizugaki, whose recent run has shown that he has the ability to mix his striking and wrestling together at key times.
His bouts against Nam Phan and Jeff Hougland stand out as examples of his dominance, showcasing his ability to land combinations and sneak in takedowns at the same time. However, as his Fight Metric report shows, Mizugaki has struggled against men who can take him down.
Francisco Rivera, Erik Perez and Bryan Caraway were all able to take Mizugaki down multiple times in their bouts. In each fight Mizugaki responded by adapting to the situation at hand. Against Caraway he increased his striking output to end the fight with a 67-37 advantage over the Team Alpha Male competitor.
Mizugaki leaned on his grappling against Perez and Rivera to keep them in defensive positions. In every fight, he was able to walk away with a decision victory because of his ability to score in a variety of ways.
A Cruz victory will mean that the former bantamweight champion was able to find a way to move in and out to land strikes while simultaneously avoiding hits. For Mizugaki to win, he will have to stand up to one of his toughest tests in a long time.
As Karim Zidan's piece for Bloody Elbow shows, the storyline around the Mizugaki-Cruz bout has focused on the return of Cruz to the Octagon (Bloody Elbow). With so much going on during the UFC’s biggest card of the year, this fight can easily be a sleeper to steal the show at the end of the evening.
