Battle of the Analysts: DC vs. Dominick Cruz

Battle of the Analysts: Dominick Cruz vs. Daniel Cormier

Photo from Dominick Cruz’ Facebook

Fans remember the friendly banter between Max Holloway and Daniel Cormier. The two used to joke about having to duke it out over who was the “Daddest Man on the Planet,” with the Blessed Hawaiin superstar noting that they’re the same height. It would only take a few Hawaiin barbeques to get him up to heavyweight, too.

The wholesome rivalry has led to some memorable quips, and even a one-sided Madden affair which saw DC take it to Max.

Via Daniel Cormier’s Twitter

While the MMA community is delighted with the lighthearted banter between two fan-favorites, a rather unexpected animosity formed between Daniel Cormier and his fellow analyst, Dominick Cruz, in the lead up to UFC 269.

During the media scrum, Cruz was asked what he made of Daneil Cormier’s commentary.

“When it comes to ‘DC,’ I usually mute it. I love DC, he’s my friend, but to me, from my experience, he doesn’t do the homework. He wants to get in and out, get the job done, make his money, and I think he cares about us but it’s just different. He doesn’t do the preparation from my experience. He might now, I’m hoping he watches some film this time on me so he knows what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, but I’m not gonna hold my breath on that, that’s for sure.” – Dominick Cruz

This comes on the heels of Daniel Cormier defending himself against the MMA Twitter mafia, who descended on the former double champion for what they claimed was biased commentary.

Via Daneil Cormier’s Twitter

While it’s one thing to get criticized by fans hoarded behind their keyboards, getting publicly called out by a coworker and friend comes with a bit more sting. In fact, DC didn’t take very kindly to Cruz’s assessment of his commentary.

Being the arbiter of peace that he is, Michael Bisping brokered a sit-down between Daniel Cormier and Dominick Cruz on DC’s YouTube channel.

Addressing the comments, DC felt that Cruz had broken the bro-code of UFC commentary.

“That’s the problem, the things we talk about privately, we’re aren’t supposed to say in public, that’s what you just did. That’s our rule, you say so many things privately that I wouldn’t ever say publicly. You and I say things privately that we never would say publicly.” – Daniel Cormier

Dominick downplayed that idea, claiming that he was simply holding his friend accountable.

“I held you accountable. That’s different. Accountability is love, DC. So when you hold your kid accountable for missing something, is it love? Do you do it because you love them?”

Both men maintain that they see each other as brothers, though this certainly adds a bit of a strain on their longstanding friendship. It will be pretty interesting to see if Daniel Cormier adjusts his commentary during Cruz’s upcoming bout against Pedro Munhoz on the undercard.

Things might get pretty awkward if DC has to interview his buddy after a loss.