Dominick Cruz Breaks Down Renan Barao

Dominick Cruz was in studio with Chael Sonnen and Jay Glazer during the broadcast of UFC on Fuel TV 7: Barao vs. McDonald. Renan Barao was able to finish Michael McDonald by submission in the fourth round, but how did the UFC Bantamweight Champion think the Interim Champion do? Not only did Cruz break down what he saw in the main event, but he also talked about what Barao should expect if he gets into the octagon with him in the summer.

On Fuel TV Cruz said talked about what concerns he would have from what he saw from Barao:

“Nothing really concerns me. What I noticed was the way McDonald chose to fight Barao. He had the same problems I thought Barao would give him. He can’t take down Barao, which gave him more chances to win and he could go for the takedowns. He can stay on the outside and strike. On top of that, McDonald was looking for the power shots, and was not looking to set them up. He was looking to counter them or force them. And, as I thought, Barao was able to keep the distance and keep McDonald from landing the big shot. He was able to dictate the range, keep the distance and score the takedowns that won the fight.”

Cruz also talked about how he would fight Barao:

“I fight differently than anyone else. I’m not going to stand in front of you. I’m not just going to counter you and I mix things up. You take away range with angles. I can wrestle. I’m not going to just stand in front of him and strike the whole time. Feints ruin the entire game of Barao, in my opinion. You take away the range by taking away the jab. He’s going to be confused when he gets in there looking for me.”