UFC San Diego goes down this weekend at Penchanga Arena in San Diego, California. In the main event, Marlon Vera and Dominick Cruz battle it out in a potential title eliminator.
Vera is currently on a three fight winning streak, with his most recent victory coming against Rob Font at UFC Vegas 53. Cruz is currently riding a two fight winning streak, with his most recent win coming against Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision at UFC 269.
UFC San Diego: Analysis And Prediction
Cruz, a two time UFC bantamweight champion who is regarded as the greatest 135 pound fighter in the history of MMA, is looking to make his way back to the top again. ‘The Dominator’ is a very capable striker with unorthodox movement and in-and-out striking, which his opponents find extremely hard to deal with. He’s also a very underrated grappler. Vera is a fantastic striker, who hits really hard and has a range of tricks up his sleeve. He’s also a very capable grappler.
Vera is the more offensive of the two fighters statistically, as he lands four and a half significant strikes per minute on average, whereas Cruz lands close to four. Cruz is a fine defensive striker, who absorbs two and a half significant strikes per minute on average, whereas Vera absorbs five. Cruz averages three takedowns per 15 minutes, whereas Vera prefers to keep the fight on the feet. If Cruz opts to mix things up and make good use of his wrestling, he will make it very hard for Vera to win the fight.
The Ecuadorian is younger and the more active of the two fighters, so it’s likely that he will have the edge as far as conditioning is concerned. Vera will have momentum with him, but Cruz is a tricky test for anyone in the division, even at 36 years old. It will be an extremely close fight, with Vera winning the early exchanges, but Cruz will use his experience, especially in the latter rounds, to churn out a decision win.
Prediction: Dominick Cruz by decision
Betting Odds
Dominick Cruz (+200)
Marlon Vera (-240)
Who do you think will win the UFC San Diego main event between Marlon Vera and Dominick Cruz?
