WEC 53 Live Play-by-Play: Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

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Dominick Cruz vs. Scott Jorgensen

Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen - WEC 53

Round 1:
Cruz is a ball of motion from the opening bell. Jorgensen takes center cage, trying to get a read on Cruz. Cruz is landing the more effective strikes early, flying in, punching, and spinning out away from Jorgensen. Cruz drives in with a knee to the body, but Jorgensen takes Cruz down briefly and maintains control from behind, standing for a brief period. They separate and Cruz goes right back to being a whirlwind of arms and legs. Jorgensen chases, trying to land punches, but gets lit up by Cruz in a flurry of punches and kicks. Jorgensen lands a punch or two here and there, but Cruz is flying in at such unorthodox angles, Jorgensen can’t tell where he’s coming from. Jorgensen scores a takedown and takes Cruz’s back at the end of the round, but Cruz quickly reverses before the bell.

Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen - WEC 53

Round 2:
Jorgensen showing more movement as round two kicks off, not content to hold the center of the cage as tightly as round one. Jorgensen opens a cut on the bridge of Cruz’s nose with some punches, but Cruz is still stinging him with combinations and then shoots and scores a double-leg takedown on the former PAC-10 champion wrestler. Cruz goes to work on Jorgensen’s body with punches from the guard and then drops some heavy elbows to the head. Cruz moves to half guard and continues pummeling Jorgensen, switching from head to body and back. Jorgensen works his way up the cage and gets back to his feet, but quickly eats a jumping knee from Cruz. Jorgensen just can’t seem to find an answer to Cruz’s odd-ball style.

Dominick Cruz and Scott Jorgensen - WEC 53

Round 3:
Cruz immediately comes out firing and landing the right hand. Jorgensen trying to find an opening, but Cruz drops him with a straight right. Jorgensen bounces right back up, but looks to be breathing hard, and appears confused by Cruz’s attack. Cruz lights him up with another furious combination of kicks and punches. Cruz slipping and ducking almost everything Jorgensen is throwing now, and still mixing his own combinations up so that Jorgensen can’t figure out what’s coming next. Cruz scores the takedown and goes right back to work from Jorgensen’s guard, wearing Jorgensen down. Jorgensen sweeps and and gets to Cruz’s back briefly before they stand up and trade a few more shots before the bell.

Round 4:
Cruz opens again with a stunning right hand and rushes Jorgensen, taking him to the mat and starting work from guard. Cruz continues the ground and pound assault, but Jorgensen manages to get back to his feet, Cruz quickly pushing him to the cage in a clinch. Lots of swelling under Jorgensen’s right eye. They trade a few more blows before Cruz once again takes Jorgensen to the mat and immediately passes to side control. Jorgensen gets on all-fours and escapes back to standing again. Cruz is a little slower than earlier, but is still coming at Jorgensen from all angles, mixing up his striking attack, and then scoring another double-leg takedown. He finishes the round working on Jorgensen’s body from inside the guard.

UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz

Round 5:
Cruz opens with a punch combination and follows with a couple of head kicks for good measure. Jorgensen still can’t find a target. Cruz is landing five to 10 strikes for every one that Jorgensen is able to land. Midway through the round and Cruz is two and half minutes away from a UFC title. He continues to light Jorgensen up, but the Idahoan finally manages a takedown. Cruz gets right back up, eats a knee on the way up, but immediately goes back to picking away at Jorgensen before shooting a power double-leg takedown. Cruz is grounding and pounding Jorgensen, with much less authority than earlier in the fight, but still in complete control of the fight. He passes to half guard, then lets Jorgensen up, letting loose a flurry of strikes. He can’t finish Jorgensen, but his utter domination of him should put the final WEC bantamweight strap and the first UFC 135-pound title around his waist.

Dominick Cruz def. Scott Jorgensen by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45), R5

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