UFC 269 results: Dominick Cruz survives early adversity, puts on clinic in win vs. Pedro Munhoz

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was nearly finished in the opening minutes, but somehow survived and rallied to victory.

LAS VEGAS – In the early moments of his UFC 269 bout, things looked grim for former bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag].

But somehow someway, Cruz (24-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) overcame great adversity in the opening minutes to rally and dominate fellow contender [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) victory.

UFC 269 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

The first round was action-packed, with the most significant damage being unleashed by the hands of Munhoz, who stunned and dropped Cruz on multiple occasions. Cruz someone survived in a grappling scramble and the momentum shifted slightly thereafter. Most of the exchanges that followed were either 50-50 or slightly in Cruz’s favor. While he may not have won the round, he showed heart and rebounded nicely.

In Round 2, Cruz continued to find his range and pick apart Munhoz on the feet. As the round progressed, so did Cruz’s offense. Big shots connected for the former champion, but Munhoz stayed on his feet and absorbed them. Late in the frame, Cruz landed a series of approximately 10 straight punches to the head of Munhoz, which got a pop out of the crowd.

Likely tied at one round apiece, it was anyone’s fight entering the final round. Cruz was aggressive like in Round 2, as he rocked Munhoz on a few occasions. As he sported a cut under his left eye, Cruz dipped in and out as he avoided danger in vintage fashion. Munhoz hung tough, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges.

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With the win, Cruz extends his winning streak to two, which also includes a split decision victory over Casey Kenney. A former UFC bantamweight champion, Cruz went winless from December 2016 to March 2020. During that stretch he only competed twice. Both were title fights losses, one against Henry Cejudo and one against Cody Garbrandt.

As for Munhoz, the defeat marks his fourth loss in five appearances. Other losses in the stretch include Aljamain Sterling, Frankie Edgar, and Jose Aldo. Munhoz has now lost back-to-back fights.

Up-to-the-minute results of UFC 269 include:

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