Tag: Dominick Cruz next fight

Dominick Cruz Says He Taught The Bantamweights To ‘Grow A Pair’

Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz is without question the best 135-pounder to have ever graced the Octagon. Even after nearly four years on the sidelines dealing with multiple knee injuries, Cruz returned earlier this year to reclaim his title from TJ Dillashaw before once again defending it in dominant fashion against bitter […]

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Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz is without question the best 135-pounder to have ever graced the Octagon. Even after nearly four years on the sidelines dealing with multiple knee injuries, Cruz returned earlier this year to reclaim his title from TJ Dillashaw before once again defending it in dominant fashion against bitter rival Urijah Faber this past June.

With Cruz back at the helm, the 135-pound division appears to be booming with intriguing contenders and unique personalities. The champion acknowledges that more bantamweights have begun to talk, although he doesn’t feel as if any of them are on his level which has led him to search for a possible ‘money fight’:

“I cleaned out the division once already before I got injured,” Cruz told MMAjunkie Radio. “I had beat everybody. They started a new weight class at 125 pounds. A lot of guys dropped down because I had faced everybody at 135 at that point. Once I got hurt, it kind of put a blank in that area, and it allowed these guys to fight for it and fight to see who the next-best guy in the division is.

“I’m here to clean out the division. All these guys want to talk, but I don’t think any of them can hang with me. None of them. If I can’t clean out the division, then I want a big fight and try to bring the belts together at 145 possibly.”

As far as his name constantly being tossed around amongst the division’s elite, Cruz finds it ironic as he claims that he attempted to get his fellow bantamweights to talk long before he returned with no success. Now, however, “The Dominator” says that he essentially taught the division to ‘grow a pair’ which has led to the newfound excitement regarding the 135-pound class:

“What it comes down to is understanding that coming back and doing what I did kind of pissed everybody off I think more than anything,” Cruz said. “You never heard any of these guys calling out any other 135-pounder in the history of the division. Much less, where were these guys talking while I was out? That’s the way I view this situation. I go, ‘Who was the last person to get called out at 135 pounds while I was injured the past four years analyzing on FOX?’

“I was begging for these guys to talk to each other so we could build a division even while I was hurt. They wouldn’t do it. Now I come back, I beat these guys up, and now everyone has something to say, everyone has an idea. I’m scared of everybody all of a sudden. I’m running from everybody all of a sudden. Everybody can knock me out, but nobody could knock out the other guys while I was gone. It’s just ironic. It’s weird how things work. I basically taught everybody to grow a pair and start running their mouth is what happened.”

Cruz’s next challenge remains unclear at this time, but he appears to have some intriguing possibilities waiting for him, as well as some lucrative ones. Dillashaw could be in line for a rematch after decisively beating Raphael Assuncao last month, while moving up in weight could also be an interesting option for “The Dominator”. In addition to that, the coach of former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar said that a drop to bantamweight is possible for “The Answer”. A battle between Cruz and Edgar would be a hit to say the least.

Who would you like to see Cruz mix it up with next?

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Max Holloway Not Impressed With Dominick Cruz’s Recent Comments

The UFC featherweight division was altered once again at UFC 200. After being knocked out cold by Conor McGregor at UFC 194, Jose Aldo returned to action on July 9 to rematch his old rival Frankie Edgar. Although many felt ‘The Answer’ should have been getting a shot at the undisputed belt, McGregor’s exploits at

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The UFC featherweight division was altered once again at UFC 200. After being knocked out cold by Conor McGregor at UFC 194, Jose Aldo returned to action on July 9 to rematch his old rival Frankie Edgar. Although many felt ‘The Answer’ should have been getting a shot at the undisputed belt, McGregor’s exploits at welterweight meant the fight with ‘Scarface’ was the best option. The interim belt was introduced for the second time in three fights for the division, and once again the Brazilian felt gold around his waist after five rounds.

This opened the door to a rematch with ‘The Notorious,’ although no solid time has been placed on that do-over, but could there be another potentially pivotal bout brewing in the meantime? UFC bantamweight boss Dominick Cruz spoke up yesterday with a rather interesting challenge. Claiming he wanted to fight Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, ‘The Dominator’ made clear his intentions to greatly further his status in the promotion.

A. Dom Cruz

After numerous injuries and surgeries saw Cruz vacate the bantamweight belt and fight just once in the space of nearly five years, he made a fairy tale comeback against TJ Dillashaw this past January. Winning back the title and defending it against Urijah Faber at UFC 199, ‘The Dominator’ said he’s now eyeing fights with McGregor or Aldo. His comments have struck a nerve with streaking featherweight Max Holloway though, as he voiced his displeasure on Twitter:

Currently on a nine fight winning streak which includes victories over Cub Swanson, Jeremy Stephens and Ricardo Lamas, ‘Blessed’ may have a point here. What’s important to consider in this argument though is the attraction of a super fight. Those extremely rare bouts where champions take on fellow champions, something that the promotion places very high in their monetary prioritisation.

Max Holloway

Although Max Holloway is clearly quite deserving of a title fight, it’s also apparent that Aldo probably wants McGregor or bust. Now factor in that Dominick Cruz could potentially jump the queue, could we see another streaking featherweight contender snubbed by champions changing divisions?

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Dominick Cruz Interested In Fights With McGregor & Aldo

In the aftermath of his UFC 200 (July 9, 2016) victory over Raphael Assuncao, former 135-pound champion TJ Dillashaw made it clear that he’s interested in a rematch with reigning title holder Dominick Cruz. Dillashaw and Cruz faced off last January in a close fought bout that saw Cruz earn a split-decision victory, stealing “Killashaw’s”

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In the aftermath of his UFC 200 (July 9, 2016) victory over Raphael Assuncao, former 135-pound champion TJ Dillashaw made it clear that he’s interested in a rematch with reigning title holder Dominick Cruz. Dillashaw and Cruz faced off last January in a close fought bout that saw Cruz earn a split-decision victory, stealing “Killashaw’s” title in the process.

Despite Dillashaw’s comments, however, Cruz isn’t too interested in the rematch, claiming that he has nothing to prove regarding the former champion:

“I don’t care about that m———– at all,” Cruz told ESPN’s Five Rounds podcast. “I beat that dude three years off the couch. He got me at 75 percent. So, the fact he thinks he beat me is nonsense.

“I don’t need to prove anything to that guy. I don’t really care about him. There are so many other fights that are extremely important.”

Instead of the rematch, Cruz actually expressed interest in possibly moving up in weight and challenging for the featherweight title:

“Who knows? (McGregor) could get hurt in this fight against Diaz,” Cruz said. “They’d need someone to fight for the interim title. I’m willing to fight for the interim (featherweight) title and bring two belts together. Why not? I would do that in a heartbeat. That’s a much more fun, much bigger fight than anything near TJ Dillashaw. Nobody cares about that guy.”

“Or maybe Aldo gets hurt and I’ll fight Conor. Let’s go, you know what I mean? I can move up to 145 and be very competitive. I’m extremely hard to hit, I’m quick and I’ve fought at 45 before. I’m down for it because bringing two belts together to consolidate into one, not only has it not been done, it’s tough. It’s a challenge. It’s a fun, interesting matchup. That’s what people want to see right now.”

“The Dominator” has undoubtedly presented an interesting scenario here. If he were indeed to move up in weight and challenge for gold, he would attempt to become only the third man in promotional history to win titles in two different weight classes, and only the first in promotional history to simultaneously hold two titles.

Would you be interested in seeing Cruz face off with McGregor or Aldo?

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Dominick Cruz Rips Team Alpha Male: ‘Beat Somebody In The Top Three’

Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has a long and rocky history with Sacramento based gym Team Alpha Male, a team founded and led by Cruz’s most bitter rival, Urijah Faber. Cruz has most notably battled with “The California Kid” on three different occasions, winning twice with the most recent victory coming earlier this month

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Reigning UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has a long and rocky history with Sacramento based gym Team Alpha Male, a team founded and led by Cruz’s most bitter rival, Urijah Faber. Cruz has most notably battled with “The California Kid” on three different occasions, winning twice with the most recent victory coming earlier this month at UFC 199. With a clear cut unanimous decision victory, “The Dominator” closed the door on a near decade long rivalry with Faber.

Cruz has also had bad blood with ex-Team Alpha Male member TJ Dillashaw, who “The Dominator” outpointed last January to recapture the title. In Cruz’s mind, the rivalry between him and Team Alpha Male will never end:

“I’ve been facing these guys since the beginning of my career. I said it a long time ago on one of my interviews that I chop one head off and another one just pops right back up,” Cruz said (transcription by MMA Fighting). “Those guys are never going to stop hating me. They’re never going to stop wanting to beat me.”

“Faber’s going to keep promoting these guys because he collects a percentage off promoting these guys.”

Cruz often accuses Faber of collecting money off rising fighters from the gym, and the next surging Team Alpha Male bantamweight appears to be No. 7-ranked Cody “No Love” Garbrandt. Garbrandt recently scored a brutal knockout victory over Thomas Almeida, and Faber has said that he’ll eventually be a tough test for Cruz.

The champion, however, isn’t worried about “No Love”, and actually issued a challenge to his rivals over in Sacramento:

“To me, it was just normal, Team Alpha Fail business. Them talking, trying to skip positions in the line,” Cruz said. “The way I see it is, just get in line man. Beat somebody that’s ranked in the top 3.”

“That’s how I feel about those guys, any of those guys. Don’t try to talk your way to the front of the line.”

Has Team Alpha Male jumped the gun on Garbrandt, or is the young knockout artist on his way to a title shot?

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Four Fights For Dominick Cruz To Take Next

Last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) Dominick Cruz once again proved to the MMA community why he is widely considered to be the best bantamweight to have ever competed inside the Octagon. In the co-main event of UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, Cruz coasted to a decisive decision victory over longtime rival

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Last weekend (Sat., June 4, 2016) Dominick Cruz once again proved to the MMA community why he is widely considered to be the best bantamweight to have ever competed inside the Octagon.

In the co-main event of UFC 199 from The Forum in Inglewood, California, Cruz coasted to a decisive decision victory over longtime rival Urijah Faber, ending the last chapter in their historic rivalry and defending his 135-pound strap in the process.

After battling a seemingly never-ending string of injuries that kept him out of action for almost four years, Cruz has clearly returned to form after re-capturing the title from ex-champion TJ Dillashaw in his return last January and once again toppling “The California Kid” last night.

Luckily for “The Dominator”, the once-barren bantamweight division is now booming with contenders, and he’ll have a few top-flight challenges waiting for him in the near future.

Let’s take a look at four possible fights for Cruz to take next.

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Five Fights To Make For Resurgent Bantamweight Division

The dust has now settled on UFC Fight Night 81 which went down last Sunday (January 17, 2016) night from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts presented live on FOX Sports 1. The main event featured a long awaited and highly anticipated bantamweight title fight between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz. In a very close

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The dust has now settled on UFC Fight Night 81 which went down last Sunday (January 17, 2016) night from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts presented live on FOX Sports 1.

The main event featured a long awaited and highly anticipated bantamweight title fight between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz. In a very close fought split-decision, “The Dominator” was able to reclaim the title he had never technically lost.

With Cruz now back at the helm, one of mixed martial arts’ (MMA) previously most lacking divisions has all of a sudden become resurgent with intriguing and exciting possibilities.

With the possibility of trilogy bouts, rematches, and the emergence of multiple rising contenders, let’s take a look at five potential fights for the new and improved 135-pound division:

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