UFC 132: Dominick Cruz and the 10 Most Difficult UFC Fighters To Prepare for

Dominick Cruz was successful in defending his bantamweight for the third consecutive time at UFC 132, defeating Urijah Faber by unanimous decision.

Throughout the fight, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan talked about how hard it is to train for Dominick Cruz because of his unusual striking.

Their assessment proved to be true, as Urijah looked relatively lost striking with Dominick and was outclassed for much of the fight.

This gives Dominick a huge advantage over the rest of his weight class because he can bring in people to mimic his opponents styles, but his opponents can't because no one fights quite like he does.

Let's take a look at Dominick and some other UFC fighters who are very difficult to train for...

Honorable Mention: Brian Ebersole

I dare you to try to find someone that can mimic his cartwheel kick.

I DARE YOU.

No. 10: Roy Nelson

Nelson hasn't looked good in his past two UFC outings, but that's because he was unable to get top control in either of those fights.

When Nelson gets on top of his opponents, all that extra weight that he carries around his abdomen makes him difficult to shake off.

Good look finding a training partner who is as fat as Nelson, while being as skilled on the ground.

No. 9: Stefan Struve

Stefan Struve is 6'11".

That makes him a tough opponent to train for because it's hard to find an opponent with his stature.

Struve has a long reach and also his reach with his legs, which isn't something many people take into consideration, is also very long.

Unless you're training with Gan Mcgee, this guy is pretty much impossible to prepare for.

No. 8: Clay Guida

Clay Guida has always had a unique style of fighting, but since moving to Greg Jackson's camp, Guida has really learned how to take his style and make it effective.

Guida has some of the best head movement in the lightweight division and is generally very unorthodox on the feet.

That, combined with Clay's grinding style of wrestling and his relentless pace makes him a very difficult opponent to prepare for.

No. 7: Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar presents an unusual challenge to anyone in the heavyweight division.

Lesnar is one of the largest men in the division, cutting significant weight to make 265lbs, but he moves like a welterweight.

It's very difficult to find another opponent of Brock's stature who can also move like he can.

No. 6: Nick Diaz

Nick Diaz always pushes a furious pace when he fights and has unusual, but extremely effective, boxing.

His punches are crisp, and he doesn't hesitate to mix things up and through to the body. He also has a tendency to hold his hands outwards with his palms facing his opponent, and he frequently taunts his opponents if they're inactive for just moments.

Diaz also has a very crafty and active guard.

No. 5: Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida is a karate black belt, which is rare in MMA.

Most mixed martial artists train muay thai instead of karate.

The main difference, in reference to Lyoto, is that muay thai strikers step into their kicks to increase power, but karate fighters do not step into their kicks. The kicks are less powerful that way but come quicker and harder to see coming.

Lyoto's karate style, combined with his famed elusiveness, make him a very difficult opponent to prepare for.

No. 4: Anderson Silva

Anderson Silva has the most accurate striking in MMA and arguably the best head movement.

There is no MMA fighter that you can bring in to mimic Anderson on the feet.

No. 3: Dominick Cruz

Cruz has very unique and elusive striking.

He never stops moving and is very, very good at getting into a fighters range, landing his shots and getting out of range before his opponent can counter.

Cruz isn't the best striker out there, but his style is his own. There's really no way to prepare for it.

No. 2: Georges St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre is the most well-rounded mixed martial artist in the world.

To prepare for this guy, you need to bring in experts for each aspect of fighting.

GSP also has an unusual ability to cover distance, which is why he is such a successful takedown artist and why his jab is so lethal.

You'll notice that a lot of the time, St-Pierre's opponents seem bewildered when fighting him. That's because they're not used to someone who can cover distance like he can, and no one else does it like he does, so there's no way to train for it.

No. 1: Jon Jones

Jon Jones is the most difficult opponent that anyone could have to prepare for right now.

No one has even started to figure this guy out yet.

Jones has the longest reach in the UFC, unstoppable takedowns and completely unorthodox striking.

Jon has faced some of the most dangerous opponents the UFC has to offer, and no one has been able to mount any real significant offense on the guy.

Jones is right now what Lyoto Machida was in early 2009.