UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz claimed a victory in his pre-UFC 207 mind games with Cody Garbrandt yesterday when his comments during a head-to-head interview segment resulted in the challenger storming out.
Garbrandt had got hot under the collar after Cruz told him to ‘Keep your fling on a string’ – a reference to the fighter’s girlfriend, who had become caught up in the war of words between the two fighters ahead of their title fight.
“She shouldn’t be hollering at me on social media,” Cruz said. “Keep her to yourself. As far as I’m concerned, I did you and her a favor. She obviously wears the pants in the relationship or else she wouldn’t be having to defend you.”
“I’ll come across there right now,” Garbrandt threatened. “You’re a room away.”
“C’mon, turd, Let’s go,” Cruz replied, at which point Garbrandt got up and left the room.
Cruz remained on camera and could be seen laughing as he listened to Garbrandt shouting and throwing things outside his room, while the fighters manager and UFC staff tried to calm him down.
Unphased by his opponent’s tantrum, Cruz said that Garbrandt had to act that way in order to keep up his perceived persona as an alpha male.
