Michael McDonald feels he can beat Dominick Cruz © Getty Images Enlarge

Young bantamweight talent Michael McDonald believes he has worked out how to beat UFC champion Dominick Cruz, and he is ready to prove it.

McDonald, at the age of 21, is one of the brightest talents in the sport of MMA. His recent knockout of former WEC champion Miguel Torres propelled him towards the top five of the UFC bantamweight division, and he plans to make it all the way to the top.

It is likely McDonald faces at least one more fight before getting a crack at Cruz, perhaps against England's Brad Pickett. But McDonald insists Cruz's unorthodox style is technically flawed, and he believes he has finally got his head around what it takes to beat him.

"He doesn't do anything basic that's incredible, except for his MMA wrestling," McDonald said to MMA Junkie. "But everything other than that, he mostly confuses his opponents.

"He doesn't have his hands up. He has technically wrong footwork. He doesn't throw his attacks correctly at all.

"That's what I've been waiting for to click in my head - is to where I can figure his game out. It's not so much about exploiting the flaws in his basics because he goes around them so well.

"I feel like it clicked for me about six months ago when I was finally like, you know what? I feel like my understanding of martial arts is to a level where I would be able to exploit his strengths and his weaknesses. I feel like I hit another level in my martial arts.

"I feel like everything you do right or wrong is for a reason, and I feel like I'm getting to the point where I can take these things that [Cruz] does and pick them apart in a technical way."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.