Just because Dominick Cruz does commentary with Daniel Cormier does not mean he likes his broadcast partner’s style.
In addition to his career inside the Octagon, Cruz has made a name for himself as a well-established commentator, albeit with a mixed review amongst fans. While some appreciate his extremely technical breakdowns, others feel that he can be a bit confrontational in the booth, oftentimes being seen having miniature arguments with the other commentators during events.
One of the people that he seems to take regular issue with during broadcasts is fellow former champion Daniel Cormier. Speaking to media ahead of his return to action at UFC 269, in which Cormier will be commentating his fight with Pedro Munhoz, Cruz explained that while he loves DC as a person, he could do without his commentary.
“I watch (Jon) Anik do so much homework leading up to a fight. Like, people have no idea how much homework he has to do to be prepared for that, and the most kudos, for me, goes to him. He leads us in the broadcast with how he talks. When it comes to DC, I usually mute it,” Cruz said with a chuckle.
“I love DC, he’s my friend, but to me, from my experience, he doesn’t do the homework. He wants to get in and out, get the job done, make his money. I think he cares about us, but it’s just different. He doesn’t do the preparation from my experience. He might now. I’m hoping that he watches some film this time, on me, so he knows what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. But I’m not going to hold my breath on that, for sure.”
That being said, Dominick Cruz knows that he is not perfect when it comes to his work as a commentator, even though he works hard to be. However, he says it all comes down to how each person looks at things, and he does not take things personally, whether other commentators and fighters agree with him or not.
“Honestly, I’m never perfect. There’s a roster of, I don’t know, 400-600 fighters, and not everybody is going to agree with what I say either. It’s all perspective in there. And DC, he’s a gifted athlete. I think (Michael) Bisping does a lot of homework. I think he watches a lot of film. I think there are certain people that watch the film, and I count that because I do the film study. The reason I do the film study is it’s bigger than me,” Cruz said.
“I really don’t call or text any of them, because they’re just doing their job. They’re seeing it how they see it, it’s their interpretation. It doesn’t make it fact, and I know they’re doing the best they can, honestly.”
It certainly seems like Dominick Cruz is simply giving his honest assessment of how he thinks Daniel Cormier does as a commentator and is not coming from a place of a personal beef. That said, it will be interesting to see if Cormier gives his response to these comments while working commentary for UFC 269 .
Watch the full presser with Dominick Cruz below:
