Dominick Cruz would like to see Max Holloway change up one particular thing in his strategy heading into UFC 318.
Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) defends his BMF title against Dustin Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in a trilogy bout which headlines Saturday’s event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Holloway is 0-2 against “The Diamond.”
Cruz wants Holloway to diversify his striking attack against Poirier,
“What you’re going to see is basic weapons out of a southpaw vs. a conventional,” Cruz said in a breakdown video for ESPN MMA. “The basic weapons for me is my backside. So, I’ll hand fight here, and I want the kick to the liver from Max, I want the kick to the head, I want the kick to the inside.
“And last, I want right hand, low kick. These kicks are going to be huge work for Max Holloway. He didn’t use a lot of kicks in their first matchup. Dustin Poirier is not a big wrestler, not a big shooter. He likes to brawl, so I think we’re going to see more kicks.”
Cruz said Holloway can’t stand and trade in the pocket with Poirier, who proved to have the power advantage in their rematch at UFC 236. He wants him to show off the dexterity of his kicks.
“The way that Max can beat the boxing of Poirier is use his kicks, use his range,” Cruz said. “This teep kick slides in there like a jab. That’s one of the things we saw out of Max, as well. He was countering this head shot by going to the body. So, whenever Poirier would slide back, he’d go here (body). So, now the adjustment right there, and here’s your head kick.
“I think we’re going to see some adjustments for Max with that slide-back hook, the pulling sequences, where he likes to pull you into the pocket and brawl, and he’s very accurate. I think we’re going to see more kicks, more knees, more elbows, and a lot more trickiness out of Max Holloway this time.”
