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Dominick Cruz didn’t have an easy night at the office, but the former bantamweight champion still got the job done to secure his first win since 2016 in the preliminary round of UFC 259.
It was a back and forth throughout the battle, but Cruz managed to put Casey Kenney to work for most of the three rounds to ultimately win a split decision. The judges scored the fight 30-27 and 29-28 for Cruz, with the third official giving Kenney the nod with a 29-28 scorecard.
That was enough for Cruz to take the win and return to the win column after suffering back-to-back losses in his last two title fights against Henry Cejudo and Cody Garbrandt.
“A little closer than I wanted, but I got the job done,” said Cruz after the win. “I kinda expected to be able to pass him, but he kept going.
Always quick on his feet, Cruz cut Kenney with kicks, including dull kicks on the legs, then went up and down. Cruz’s elusiveness was giving Kenney a headache as he always seemed to be right behind the former bantamweight champion in trade.
Just before the close of the first round, Kenney began to retaliate with a few leg kicks while trying to slow Cruz from moving around the octagon so much.
Kenney continued with this game plan while trying to stop the constant movement, but Cruz began to find a home for his right hand while avoiding his opponent’s big looping punches. Still, Kenney was more or less willing to trade blow for blow, including a stiff left hand as round two drew to a close which definitely caught Cruz’s attention.
With a two-round close-quarters fight, Cruz went through a pair of takedowns as Kenney swung for the fences, trying to do more damage to the feet. While it was a remarkably close fight, Cruz’s ability to consistently connect with the best shots overall has put him ahead of the scorecard.
Injuries have plagued Cruz for so much of his career, but he still managed to beat a top up and come to Kenney on Saturday night while proving that there is still a lot of fighting left in him.
Rather than calling another bantamweight, however, Cruz decided to take the time in his post-fight interview to request a fight against an executive from Monster Energy Drinks.
“I would love to organize a charity fight,” said Cruz. “There’s a guy named Hans Molenkamp who’s taken a lot of fighters hostage and says he’s a great professional fighter and can take out everyone. I would love for Monster to pick a charity of their choosing and me and Hans going.
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