Dominick Cruz fired back at Cody Garbrandt in the latest barrage in the war of words between the UFC champion and aspiring challenger.
Appearing on The MMA Hour, Cruz discussed Garbrandt calling him out and said the following:
“Let the youngster enjoy his hype train fresh off his win. Let his people keep on building that false sense of confidence that they are all instilling into his psyche over this period, it’s good for him. I kill hype for a living.”
Cruz and Garbrandt have been exchanging verbal volleys for several weeks now. Cruz, who reclaimed the bantamweight title earlier this year after vacating it due to injury, has won 13 consecutive fights. Garbrandt is undefeated in pro MMA with a 10-0 record, including a 4-0 mark in MMA with three consecutive first-round knockouts. Champion and contender even got into a confrontation backstage at UFC 202 this past Saturday, which Cruz addressed on air while appearing as an analyst as part of the Fox coverage of the event, referring to Garbrandt as "the CM Punk of the 135-pound division."
Garbrandt, meanwhile, has promised to finish Cruz if given the chance to fight him. He also promised to break the champion's jaw during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan after KOing Takeya Mizugaki in less than a minute at UFC 202.
Cruz (22-1) has never been knocked out as a professional. His lone defeat was a submission against Urijah Faber, and Cruz has beaten him by unanimous decision in two subsequent rematches.
