Garbrandt steals title from Cruz
LAS VEGAS — Cody Garbrandt danced and raised his hands as the final seconds ticked away, confident he had wrestled the UFC bantamweight championship away from Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 Friday night.
The judges would soon confirm it, awarding him a unanimous decision by the scores of 48-46, 48-47 and 48-46. Garbrandt, now unbeaten in 11 fights, was the fifthrated contender in the hotly contested division. But he proved more than worthy of his title shot, dropping Cruz (22-2) with hard strikes at least four times in the fourth round where he took control.
“I’ve been waiting to hear that since I was 12 years old,” Garbrandt said after he was announced as the new champion. “[Cruz] has a big head, and it was hard to knock him out. He is one of the best in the world. Now I’m the best.”
Garbrandt immediately challenged former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw, who in the preceding fight put himself in line for another title shot by dominating No. 2 contender John Lineker. Displaying an excellent blend of movement, takedown ability and a mauling ground game, Dillashaw won easily 30-26 on all three cards. Before Cruz and Garbrandt took the Octagon, Dillashaw demanded a title shot. “I don’t care who it is, I want that belt,” Dillashaw said. “I want my belt back.”
He definitely earned a shot by destroying Lineker. “No one has dominated him like that before,” Dillashaw said. “I want my belt.”
In other notable prelim bouts, Ray Borg (10-2) looked very impressive in claiming a unanimous decision over Louis Smolka (11-3); Dong Hyun Kim earned a split decision over Tarec Saffedine; and Neil Magny (19-5), a former resident of Brooklyn, earned a unanimous decision over former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks (17-6).
Hendricks, a former UFC welterweight champion, missed weight Thursday, checking in at 173.5 pounds, two and half pounds over the weight limit allowed in a non-title bout. He forfeited 20 percent of his purse to Magny.
“I want to stay as active as possible and keep working my way to get back on top,” Magny said.
He also is ready to fight in Brooklyn one day. He would love to be part of UFC 208 at Barclays Center on Feb. 11, but he is happy MMA has been legalized in the state. “I can’t wait to fight there,” he said. “It would be a dream come true.”