"Left kick by Chito would be a great answer" - Coach Eric Nicksick accurately predicted gameplan moments before Marlon Vera knocked Dominick Cruz out at UFC San Diego
Marlon Vera recently scored an impressive knockout win over Dominick Cruz in the main-event at UFC San Diego. Interestingly, renowned MMA coach Eric Nicksick accurately suggested a gameplan for 'Chito' moments before he knocked Cruz out.
Nicksick observed that Cruz had a tendency to roll to the right with his hands down. He then tweeted that 'Chito' could capitalize on the opening with a left head kick. Nicksick, who is also the head coach of UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, wrote:
"Dom tends to roll his head off to his right with his right hand down. Left kick by Chito would be a great answer to that. #UFCSanDiego @kaiboikamaka"
Dom tends to roll his head off to his right with his right hand down. Left kick by Chito would be a great answer to that. #UFCSanDiego @kaiboikamaka
It seems that Nicksick's message must have telepathically reached Vera as he knocked 'The Dominator' out with a left head-kick moments afterwards.
Like I said…. #UFCSanDiego twitter.com/eric_xcmma/sta…
Watch the finish below:
WATCH: Marlon Vera knocks out Dominick Cruz with a terrifying head kick. Looked like a baseball bat to the face! #UFCSanDiego https://t.co/cPrXnUqcDl
Cruz was initially outpointing Vera on the feet, using his unorthodox style to unsettle his opponent. While the former UFC champion might have roped in the first couple of rounds, 'Chito' was clearly landing the harder shots. Vera had already scored two knockdowns on 'The Dominator' before finally dispatching him in the fourth round.
Marlon Vera seemingly received similar advise from own coach
Marlon Vera wasn't having an easy outing before he finished Dominick Cruz with a head kick in round four. 'The Dominator' came out to a fast-start, looking to put Vera on the backfoot early on.
Although 'Chito' made his power felt with an early knockdown, Cruz displayed immense resilience by getting right back up to his feet. The former UFC bantamweight champ continued to outland Vera in every exchange while using his excellent range control to avoid damage.
While Cruz appeared to have roped in the first couple of rounds, Vera started gaining momentum in round three with another knockdown. 'Chito' patiently waited for an opening to land his power shot, which faceplanted Cruz. Follow-up shots were hardly necessary, with referee Herb Dean choosing to step in at 2:17 of round four.
Representing team Oyama, Vera revealed that his coach Jason Parillo had suggested a gameplan similar to that of Eric Nicksick. According to 'Chito', Parillo told him to throw a combination and follow it up with a "bomb". The 29-year-old said in his post-fight octagon interview:
“It was hard to find the low kicks. In the fourth round, coach told me, throw a bomb after the punches and you will find him.”
Watch Marlon Vera's post-fight interview below: