Garbrandt outduels Cruz to win UFC bantamweight title

Cody Garbrandt emphatically stripped Dominick Cruz of his air of invincibility on Friday.

Through five rounds, "No Love" rode fluid footwork and vicious counters to upset Cruz by unanimous decision and win the bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 207 in Las Vegas. The 25-year-old not only improved his promotional record to 6-0 with the victory, he handed Cruz his first loss in over nine years.

Garbrandt also brought his Team Alpha Male cohorts some long coveted closure, as Cruz had previously bested teammate and mentor Urijah Faber on two separate occasions.

Garbrandt's flawless performance in a nutshell: out-Cruz Cruz. Facing the division's most elusive counterstriker, the Ohio native forced the veteran to initiate the striking exchanges with tight footwork and made him pay for it with his granite mitts every time he closed the distance.

Once Garbrandt had settled into a rhythm, he secured the opening round with a pair of expertly timed double-leg takedowns.

After Cruz found his groove and stunned Garbrandt with some punches of his own to take the second, the tide would shift back in the latter's favor when the pair accidentally butted heads during a third-round exchange, opening a ghastly cut over Cruz's left eye.

Garbrandt all but sealed his coup of Cruz in the fourth, repeatedly sending the 31-year-old to the canvas with his lethal right hand to take the last round he needed to dethrone him.

Knowing only a finish would keep the title around his waist, Cruz fought with a desperate urgency in the final frame, and while he might have secured the round with his pressure and volume striking, his last-ditch efforts prove too little, too late to salvage his reign and unbeaten run.

Cruz's second career defeat snaps his 13-fight winning streak and drops his UFC record to 5-1.