Ray Longo believes Sean O'Malley is a 'problem fight' for Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz has received multiple call outs from Sean O'Malley over the past few months. MMA coach Ray Longo recently weighed in on a potential bout between the two.
According to Longo, Dominick Cruz's fighting style is better suited for a young guy as it involves relentless movement. Longo believes that Cruz won't have the reach advantage over O'Malley that he enjoys against other bantamweights. Labeling it a 'problem fight' for Cruz, Ray Longo said in a recent episode of the Anik & Florian podcast:
"Look I think Dom's [Dominick Cruz] thing now is the only thing that he is fighting is getting older. Cause his style of fighting is definitely suited to a young guy's game, right? You gotta be able to move for twenty five minutes like that. I think we saw a glimpse of Pedro [Munhoz] just catching them in between switches. You know I think that even [Sean] O'Malley with that extra five inch reach is gonna make a huge difference in that fight. He's not gonna have a reach advantage... I think that's a problem fight for Dominick Cruz."
Watch Ray Longo's interview on the Anik & Florian podcast below:
Both Dominick Cruz and Sean O'Malley made their most recent appearances at UFC 269. While O'Malley opened the main card against Raulian Paiva, Cruz took on Pedro Munhoz in the prelims.
'Suga' delivered another highlight for his reels with a first-round knockout win over Paiva. Meanwhile, Dominick Cruz showed glimpses of his old champion self in his decision win over Munhoz.
Why Dominick Cruz did not fight Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley called out Dominick Cruz for a fight at UFC 269. However, 'The Dominator' did not seem keen on fighting 'Suga' despite the hype surrounding him.
According to Cruz, he was looking for an opponent with a higher ranking to climb up the bantamweight ladder. Despite being a star, O'Malley was still unranked going into UFC 269. The former bantamweight king also wished O'Malley luck in finding an opponent. Dominick Cruz wrote on Twitter:
"I have a date with someone that is ranked up ahead of me stud. Same thing you’re looking for. So I get it. May the force be with you in figuring that one out for yourself."
I have a date with someone that is ranked up ahead of me stud. Same thing you’re looking for. So I get it.
May the force be with you in figuring that one out for yourself. twitter.com/espnmma/status…