Garcia was throwing one shot at a time, and it wasn’t effective because he lacked the power to keep Cortes off of him.
Referee Thomas Taylor taking that point was a direct result of that holding as a game plan approach. It is rare to see a deduction that early for clinching, which shows just how much it was killing the action.
Garcia essentially brought a defensive blueprint he could not fully execute, leaving him stuck between trying to be cute on the outside and just surviving on the inside.
Cortes deserves some credit for staying disciplined. A lot of fighters get frustrated when they are being held and smothered, but he kept his composure and worked when he had the space.
Eridson looked one-dimensional on offense, throwing single shots throughout the fight. Relying on single shots against a high-volume guy like Cortes is a losing strategy on the cards. Without combinations, Garcia never gave the judges a reason to look his way.
The unbeaten Cortes, 28, has the grit and the record, but this performance felt like he hit a plateau. While he dominated the rounds, he struggled to solve a budget defensive style, which is a major red flag if you start talking about the elite names in the super featherweight division.
A Zuffa belt is a very realistic goal for Cortes. It keeps him as a featured attraction on their platform and allows him to build his brand without being thrown to the lions just yet. It is a smart business move, but it also feels like a bit of a safety net.
Cortes is 25-0, but it was a “quiet” 25-0. To beat the world-class guys, he has to show he can do more than just outwork a limited opponent. He needs more dimensions to his game than just closing the distance and hoping the other guy keeps holding.
