In case you missed it live, here's a quick highlight video from ESPN on the UFC on Versus 6 main event bout with Dominick Cruz taking on Demetrious Johnson with the UFC Bantamweight Championship on the line.
SBN coverage of UFC on Versus 6: Cruz vs. Johnson
Here's the complete play-by-play from our live blog of the event:
SBN coverage of UFC on Versus 6: Cruz vs. Johnson
Here's the complete play-by-play from our live blog of the event:
Dominick Cruz vs Demetrious Johnson
Round 1: Cruz is off to a start landing his crazy kicks. Demetrious Johnson lands. This is going to be impossible to live blog. Demetrious shoots and Dominick defends. He starts landing punches and then works for a trip. Johnson is back up and eats a knee. Dominick gets the fight to the ground and is working to escape from butterfly guard. Johnson is working to escape but Cruz keeps his weight. He scoops as Demetrious' butt out as he tries to cage walk. Demetrious stands and punches his way out. Head kick by Demetrious and he's tripped. He's looking for a leg and Dom survives and steps over. He has Demetrious' back and eats a left hook on the escape. Demetrious with a takedown and Dom is right back up. Super busy first round and I wouldn't expect anything less. Knees inside by Johnson and Cruz. Cruz ducks down and can't score the right hand. They trade rights and Demetrious is getting better of the exchanges. Cruz resets and throws a body kick. He pushes forward with a jab. 10 seconds left and Cruz looks to have settled. Man I dunno, I'll say 10-9 Cruz for the takedown and control.
Round 2: Cruz tries to come in with a jab and is answered with a combination that backs him up against the cage. Cruz ducks under and gets the fight to the ground. Cruz landing knees to the body on the way up. Big knee to the head for Cruz. Johnson gets the takedown and immediately Cruz is up on his feet. Johnson landing from the clinch. Cruz with knees. Cruz takes a big breath. Shot from outside by Johnson is stuffed. Knees from the clinch to the body from Cruz. This pace is incredible. I feel like I've watched 3 rounds already. Knee to the head for Johnson. Cruz with a knee to the body. Cruz tries to use a whizzer but can't get it to the ground. Head fighting and Johnson tires to hoist Cruz up. He fails and Cruz withe a knee from the Thai clinch barely misses. Cruz has reset and takes another big gasp. Upper cut lands for Cruz. Johnson walks through it. Minute left and Cruz lands a jab. He's failed so far with slowing Johnson down. Knee to the body by Cruz and then a defense with a whizzer. Cruz gets the takedown and is working from butterfly guard. Landing some punches but can't really open up. He's looking to keep Johnson on the mat. 10-9 Cruz in another super close round. Side note: My cousin is now snoring. He isn't a MMA fan. What a bummer.
Round 3: They trade early body kicks. Johnson comes forward with a combination and Cruz flung himself back against the cage to avoid the kick. Cruz is trying to find an angle and lands a jab. He's turning this into his type of fight. He shoots from outside and is shrugged off. He gets Johnson's back and drops back in a Zangief style suplex. He gets his hooks and is working to finish with a choke. Wow this is a great sequence from the champion. He has the Gable grip and Johnson spins out. Cruz back to working for it. Again Demetrious spins out. He stands and is pushing cruz against the fence. Cruz looks exhausted trying to finish the fight. Big uppercut missed for Cruz. He gets the double and is back in butterfly guard. He's stepping for a mount but again hasn't been able to do anything with the position. This pace has been too much for Cruz who is looking to regain some energy with the position. Johnson is constantly looking to stand up. Johnson with under hooks and gets his butt under under. He stands! Fifteen seconds left and they are trading knees to the body in the clinch. 10-9 for Cruz but he's tired as hell. Johnson is in a great spot to win this fight.
Round 4: Johnson's first time in the championship rounds and he looks great. He lands two leg kicks and if I didn't know any better I'd think he was the champion. Cruz comes forward but can't find range. Lands a left hook. Leg kick from Cruz lands. Nice jab as well. Cruz ducks down to land to the body and eats a hook on the way up. Johnson is finding a home for his left hook. Cruz is being forced to turn this into a wrestling match. He gets the fight to the ground again. This won't win Dominick Cruz any fans even though he's been dominant with the takedowns. Punches to the body and Cruz is stuck in half guard. He steps over and gets full mount. Johnson has Cruz's body locked down to stop Cruz from creating space. Cruz is landing arm punches to the face. He scoots up and gets full guard again. Johnson scoots back up and is standing again. He comes forward but doesn't land any punches. Johnson lands a kick to the body. He lands a jab. Cruz drops again for a takedown and lands some knees to the head before muscling Johnson to the ground. Open half guard and they trade on the way up. Cruz looks for another takedown as Johnson comes forward. 10-9 Cruz on the takedowns and control. He's dying for air though. This has been the most intense fight of his career.
Round 5: Final round they touch gloves. Cruz with the leg kick and Johnson comes forward throwing Dominick avoids most of them. He gets Johnson's back and again has a big suplex like Miyata. He uses it for side control and is more active on the ground. Johnson hips to half guard. And then to full guard. Cruz steps over to half but is back in the closed guard. Busy on the ground and Lloyd Irvin is telling the ref they're being busy. Cruz has Johnson's back against the cage. Halfway through the round and this is a wrestling match. Johnson stands is trying to get out of the clinch. He throws a combination and eats an uppercut on the escape. Cruz ducks under a kick. Johnson clinches and uses a whizzer for the takedown but Cruz is right back up. Cruz lands two judo throws. Minute and a half left. Cruz is exhausted. Johnson is landing on him and comes forward to try and end the fight. Cruz drops down and scores the double leg. He hops right to mount and Johnson gives his back. Cruz loses his hooks and Johnson stands. Johnson lands and Cruz is hurt. He survives and gets the takedown. Cruz should win this with 5 straight rounds but damn that was entertaining. 10-9 Cruz.
Official Result: Dominick Cruz by Unanimous Decision. Fantastic fight.
Round 1: Cruz is off to a start landing his crazy kicks. Demetrious Johnson lands. This is going to be impossible to live blog. Demetrious shoots and Dominick defends. He starts landing punches and then works for a trip. Johnson is back up and eats a knee. Dominick gets the fight to the ground and is working to escape from butterfly guard. Johnson is working to escape but Cruz keeps his weight. He scoops as Demetrious' butt out as he tries to cage walk. Demetrious stands and punches his way out. Head kick by Demetrious and he's tripped. He's looking for a leg and Dom survives and steps over. He has Demetrious' back and eats a left hook on the escape. Demetrious with a takedown and Dom is right back up. Super busy first round and I wouldn't expect anything less. Knees inside by Johnson and Cruz. Cruz ducks down and can't score the right hand. They trade rights and Demetrious is getting better of the exchanges. Cruz resets and throws a body kick. He pushes forward with a jab. 10 seconds left and Cruz looks to have settled. Man I dunno, I'll say 10-9 Cruz for the takedown and control.
Round 2: Cruz tries to come in with a jab and is answered with a combination that backs him up against the cage. Cruz ducks under and gets the fight to the ground. Cruz landing knees to the body on the way up. Big knee to the head for Cruz. Johnson gets the takedown and immediately Cruz is up on his feet. Johnson landing from the clinch. Cruz with knees. Cruz takes a big breath. Shot from outside by Johnson is stuffed. Knees from the clinch to the body from Cruz. This pace is incredible. I feel like I've watched 3 rounds already. Knee to the head for Johnson. Cruz with a knee to the body. Cruz tries to use a whizzer but can't get it to the ground. Head fighting and Johnson tires to hoist Cruz up. He fails and Cruz withe a knee from the Thai clinch barely misses. Cruz has reset and takes another big gasp. Upper cut lands for Cruz. Johnson walks through it. Minute left and Cruz lands a jab. He's failed so far with slowing Johnson down. Knee to the body by Cruz and then a defense with a whizzer. Cruz gets the takedown and is working from butterfly guard. Landing some punches but can't really open up. He's looking to keep Johnson on the mat. 10-9 Cruz in another super close round. Side note: My cousin is now snoring. He isn't a MMA fan. What a bummer.
Round 3: They trade early body kicks. Johnson comes forward with a combination and Cruz flung himself back against the cage to avoid the kick. Cruz is trying to find an angle and lands a jab. He's turning this into his type of fight. He shoots from outside and is shrugged off. He gets Johnson's back and drops back in a Zangief style suplex. He gets his hooks and is working to finish with a choke. Wow this is a great sequence from the champion. He has the Gable grip and Johnson spins out. Cruz back to working for it. Again Demetrious spins out. He stands and is pushing cruz against the fence. Cruz looks exhausted trying to finish the fight. Big uppercut missed for Cruz. He gets the double and is back in butterfly guard. He's stepping for a mount but again hasn't been able to do anything with the position. This pace has been too much for Cruz who is looking to regain some energy with the position. Johnson is constantly looking to stand up. Johnson with under hooks and gets his butt under under. He stands! Fifteen seconds left and they are trading knees to the body in the clinch. 10-9 for Cruz but he's tired as hell. Johnson is in a great spot to win this fight.
Round 4: Johnson's first time in the championship rounds and he looks great. He lands two leg kicks and if I didn't know any better I'd think he was the champion. Cruz comes forward but can't find range. Lands a left hook. Leg kick from Cruz lands. Nice jab as well. Cruz ducks down to land to the body and eats a hook on the way up. Johnson is finding a home for his left hook. Cruz is being forced to turn this into a wrestling match. He gets the fight to the ground again. This won't win Dominick Cruz any fans even though he's been dominant with the takedowns. Punches to the body and Cruz is stuck in half guard. He steps over and gets full mount. Johnson has Cruz's body locked down to stop Cruz from creating space. Cruz is landing arm punches to the face. He scoots up and gets full guard again. Johnson scoots back up and is standing again. He comes forward but doesn't land any punches. Johnson lands a kick to the body. He lands a jab. Cruz drops again for a takedown and lands some knees to the head before muscling Johnson to the ground. Open half guard and they trade on the way up. Cruz looks for another takedown as Johnson comes forward. 10-9 Cruz on the takedowns and control. He's dying for air though. This has been the most intense fight of his career.
Round 5: Final round they touch gloves. Cruz with the leg kick and Johnson comes forward throwing Dominick avoids most of them. He gets Johnson's back and again has a big suplex like Miyata. He uses it for side control and is more active on the ground. Johnson hips to half guard. And then to full guard. Cruz steps over to half but is back in the closed guard. Busy on the ground and Lloyd Irvin is telling the ref they're being busy. Cruz has Johnson's back against the cage. Halfway through the round and this is a wrestling match. Johnson stands is trying to get out of the clinch. He throws a combination and eats an uppercut on the escape. Cruz ducks under a kick. Johnson clinches and uses a whizzer for the takedown but Cruz is right back up. Cruz lands two judo throws. Minute and a half left. Cruz is exhausted. Johnson is landing on him and comes forward to try and end the fight. Cruz drops down and scores the double leg. He hops right to mount and Johnson gives his back. Cruz loses his hooks and Johnson stands. Johnson lands and Cruz is hurt. He survives and gets the takedown. Cruz should win this with 5 straight rounds but damn that was entertaining. 10-9 Cruz.
Official Result: Dominick Cruz by Unanimous Decision. Fantastic fight.