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
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?
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
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.
After an electric and crushing victory against Brazilian Thomas Almeida, Team Alpha Male’s Cody “No Love” Garbrandt earned some major respect while remaining undefeated as a professional. Garbrandt also positioned himself for a title run at the Bantamweight belt. His quick and technical striking overwhelmed Almeida from the opening bell, and his raw, impressive power earned him his fourth victory in the UFC and third by KO/TKO. Who he should fight next; however, is a hard question to answer.
The current Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, is of course fighting #3 ranked Uriah Faber at the upcoming UFC 199. #1 ranked and former champion TJ Dillashaw will face off against #5 Raphael Assuncao at UFC 200 for what has to be the number one contender to battle the winner of Cruz vs. Faber 3. Renan Barao sits at the #2 spot but has moved to Featherweight and just suffered a loss to Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens in last night’s co-main event.
#4 Aljamain Sterling was defeated last night as well by #8 Bryan Caraway, who will be looking for his next opponent too. #6 Michael “Mayday” Mcdonald will battle #11 John Lineker in July.
In the post fight press conference, Garbrandt expressed interest in fighting in his home state of Ohio at UFC 203 in Cleveland.
Because Almeida was Garbrandt’s first ranked opponent, Garbrandt could just be given another ranked opponent, even one who currently sits behind Almeida. While that fight may seem to be taking a step backward, it would give him a chance to feature on a pay-per-view main card as a ranked fighter while allowing him another chance to establish himself further. He is probably still behind Bryan Caraway at this point. If Michael Mcdonald wins his next fight, then perhaps Caraway and McDonald would square off for the next number one contender spot.
Depending on where Garbrant is ranked, he could fight the loser of Dillashaw vs. Assuncao, but that would be a quick turn for both of those fighters to get ready for UFC 203. “Rewarding” Garbrandt with the loser of a match also seems a bit unproductive too.
Garbrandt refused to call anyone out after his victory last night, however. He said he would be happy with any ranked fighter for UFC 203, a request the UFC will certainly be glad to oblige. The Team Alpha Male product is on the fast track to UFC gold, stating his case that the future is now.
After an electric and crushing victory against Brazilian Thomas Almeida, Team Alpha Male’s Cody “No Love” Garbrandt earned some major respect while remaining undefeated as a professional. Garbrandt also positioned himself for a title run at the Bantamweight belt. His quick and technical striking overwhelmed Almeida from the opening bell, and his raw, impressive power earned him his fourth victory in the UFC and third by KO/TKO. Who he should fight next; however, is a hard question to answer.
The current Bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, is of course fighting #3 ranked Uriah Faber at the upcoming UFC 199. #1 ranked and former champion TJ Dillashaw will face off against #5 Raphael Assuncao at UFC 200 for what has to be the number one contender to battle the winner of Cruz vs. Faber 3. Renan Barao sits at the #2 spot but has moved to Featherweight and just suffered a loss to Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens in last night’s co-main event.
#4 Aljamain Sterling was defeated last night as well by #8 Bryan Caraway, who will be looking for his next opponent too. #6 Michael “Mayday” Mcdonald will battle #11 John Lineker in July.
In the post fight press conference, Garbrandt expressed interest in fighting in his home state of Ohio at UFC 203 in Cleveland.
Because Almeida was Garbrandt’s first ranked opponent, Garbrandt could just be given another ranked opponent, even one who currently sits behind Almeida. While that fight may seem to be taking a step backward, it would give him a chance to feature on a pay-per-view main card as a ranked fighter while allowing him another chance to establish himself further. He is probably still behind Bryan Caraway at this point. If Michael Mcdonald wins his next fight, then perhaps Caraway and McDonald would square off for the next number one contender spot.
Depending on where Garbrant is ranked, he could fight the loser of Dillashaw vs. Assuncao, but that would be a quick turn for both of those fighters to get ready for UFC 203. “Rewarding” Garbrandt with the loser of a match also seems a bit unproductive too.
Garbrandt refused to call anyone out after his victory last night, however. He said he would be happy with any ranked fighter for UFC 203, a request the UFC will certainly be glad to oblige. The Team Alpha Male product is on the fast track to UFC gold, stating his case that the future is now.
Renan Barao is set to make his UFC featherweight debut after two unsuccessful attempts at former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw. The Brazilian was finished by Dillashaw in the fifth round of their first encounter at UFC 173, where Dillashaw won the title from Barao after a devastating head kick. The two met once again in a
Renan Barao is set to make his UFC featherweight debut after two unsuccessful attempts at former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw.
The Brazilian was finished by Dillashaw in the fifth round of their first encounter at UFC 173, where Dillashaw won the title from Barao after a devastating head kick.
The two met once again in a title rematch at UFC on FOX 18, this time however Dillashaw finished the Brazilian thirty-five seconds into the fourth round.
Now Barao takes a step up into the 145-pound division, after some disastrous weight cuts to 135 pounds, and takes on No. 9-Ranked featherweight Jeremy Stephens.
In a recent interview with FOX Sports, Stephens expressed his excitement for his upcoming bout against the former king of the bantamweight division:
“This is the type of fight I want. It’s probably one of the reasons why I’m one of the higher paced featherweights,” Stephenssaid.
“This is what I signed up for. This is what I love. Coming off the last fight, it wasn’t much of a fight. It was so weird and I just didn’t really feel like I got to fight.
So I stayed in shape and thought maybe I’d get a short notice fight and then they gave me a guy in Renan Barao. It just goes to show the faith the company has in me.
They want to see me fight. They want to match me up with the best and they like seeing a fist fight.”
‘Lil’ Heathen’ expects to stand and trade with Barao, and claims he doesn’t have to worry about point fighting against the Brazilian:
“With Renan Barao, you don’t have to worry about him running all over the place, point fighting or anything like that. He brings it and I know he’s going to be hungry coming off two losses (to TJ Dillashaw). I’m excited for this.”
Stephens is confident in his ability to finish Barao, but isn’t afraid to go the distance with the former bantamweight champ either:
“If I don’t break him in the first exchange or when he wants to take me down, because I know he’s going to want to take me down, as soon as he can’t get me down to the mat I’m just going to keep breaking him, breaking him, breaking him and I can beat him up for 15 minutes or I can knock him out with one shot,” Stephens said.
While Stephens expects a healthier and more conditioned Barao, he still expects to welcome the Brazilian to the 145-pound division in the harshest way possible:
“I think him going up into a weight class, he’ll be a little bit more healthy and he’ll have better nutrition and maybe better cardio.
I feel like him moving up is a smart move but I’m not a stepping stone for anybody. I’m not a pushover. I’m really enjoying the fact that he has to fight me and I’d love to welcome him and I’d love to knock him the (expletive) out to be honest.”
I have the power in all three rounds. I feel like everything he’s good at, I’m better. I have more power in my punches and I have just as much experience as this kid.
I feel really good about this fight. I’ve seen things in the fights with Dillashaw and I’m not Dillashaw. He’s never fought anybody like me.
I’m going to be just as big if not bigger. I’m going to be strong. Once I land, I’m going to land and I don’t just TKO you. I knock you out to where they have to wake you up and they’ve got to ask their coaches what happened.”
Stephens can empathize with Barao’s situation, as he moved down to featherweight after multiple losses towards the end of his run in the 155-pound division:
“I know people are going to ask him those questions, but I feel those are questions he’s probably been asking himself,” Stephen said. “I’ve been in his situations where I’ve come off two losses.
I’ve been there and what I took from it was I was hungry like a lion. I was starving. So I had to kill something in order to keep my job.
So I’m preparing for that hungry Renan Barao that wants to come back, but those are a lot of mental issues, which I feel everything in life is 80-percent mental and 20-percent physical. Everything starts in the mind.”
In the end Stephens plans to send Barao home with yet another loss on his record, spoiling the Brazilian’s debut in the 145-pound division:
“Starting in his mind it’s like ‘is my chin all right?’, ‘I’m fighting a heavier hitter than Dillashaw’, ‘I’m coming off two losses am I going to get cut?’, ‘I’m moving up to a different weight class’. He’s asking himself a lot.”
“I’m a human highlight reel,” Stephens said. “I like to put people out, it’s exciting and it pays my bills and puts more money in my bank account and I just love to do it. I love it.”
Stephens and Barao are set to lock horns in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 88 this Sunday night, May 29th, 2016.
It’s now been over a decade since the UFC first launched their reality show ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and over the years a number of the competitors have gone on to become some of the biggest and best known stars in the Octagon. Who are the most successful fighters ever to emerge from TUF though? We’ll
It’s now been over a decade since the UFC first launched their reality show ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and over the years a number of the competitors have gone on to become some of the biggest and best known stars in the Octagon.
Who are the most successful fighters ever to emerge from TUF though?
We’ll seek to answer that question in this article, but before we go any further, let’s define what what ‘success’ means in this instance.
For the purposes of this article, we’ll be taking into account the fighters record in the UFC, the level of competition they’ve been successful against, and of course, also paying close attention to any titles and accolades they’ve won.
At the same time, we’ll also be adding extra emphasis to those who’ve been able to find fame and fortune inside the Octagon, and in some cases even leveraged that to become successful outside of the cage too.
So without further ado, let’s get straight into our TUF Top 10.
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw must avenge one of his prior losses in order to get his belt back.
Dillashaw meets Raphael Assuncao this July at UFC 200, and the former titleholder is planning something special for the big event.
“Oh I’m knocking him out,” said Dillashaw, during a recent interview with Submission Radio. “I’m gonna take advantage of some holes in his game – and I can actually even submit the guy. I mean, I almost did it the first time we fought. You know what I mean? So it’s so cliché of me, but I’m gonna finish him. So if it’s gonna be a knockout or submission, that’s definitely how I believe I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna wear him out and I’m gonna catch him.
“I feel like I’m the more technical fighter. He’s got some big holes in his game on his feet. And then I guess I feel like I’m the better scrambling grappler as well. So we’ll have to show off maybe some of my wrestling in this next fight.”
Current champion Dominick Cruz, who bested Dillashaw in January for the title via split decision, will meet Urijah Faber next month for a third time. After all the dust settles, Dillashaw believes he will be the next contender.
“I better be. I feel like I should have already got that title shot,” he said. “So that’s the way I’m looking at it. You know, they have never confirmed it, cause that really doesn’t really mean anything anyways. They can decide to do whatever they want, when they want. I mean, that’s the greatest thing for the UFC, is that they’re their own promotion. But I sure hope so. I feel I’ve already done enough to get my title shot.
“So I’ll beat Rafael and I’ll be right back in there. I don’t see who they’d (the champion) match him up with.”
Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw must avenge one of his prior losses in order to get his belt back.
Dillashaw meets Raphael Assuncao this July at UFC 200, and the former titleholder is planning something special for the big event.
“Oh I’m knocking him out,” said Dillashaw, during a recent interview with Submission Radio. “I’m gonna take advantage of some holes in his game – and I can actually even submit the guy. I mean, I almost did it the first time we fought. You know what I mean? So it’s so cliché of me, but I’m gonna finish him. So if it’s gonna be a knockout or submission, that’s definitely how I believe I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna wear him out and I’m gonna catch him.
“I feel like I’m the more technical fighter. He’s got some big holes in his game on his feet. And then I guess I feel like I’m the better scrambling grappler as well. So we’ll have to show off maybe some of my wrestling in this next fight.”
Current champion Dominick Cruz, who bested Dillashaw in January for the title via split decision, will meet Urijah Faber next month for a third time. After all the dust settles, Dillashaw believes he will be the next contender.
“I better be. I feel like I should have already got that title shot,” he said. “So that’s the way I’m looking at it. You know, they have never confirmed it, cause that really doesn’t really mean anything anyways. They can decide to do whatever they want, when they want. I mean, that’s the greatest thing for the UFC, is that they’re their own promotion. But I sure hope so. I feel I’ve already done enough to get my title shot.
“So I’ll beat Rafael and I’ll be right back in there. I don’t see who they’d (the champion) match him up with.”
Now Barao takes a step up into the 145-pound division, after some disastrous weight cuts to 135 pounds, and takes on No. 9-Ranked featherweight Jeremy Stephens.
‘Lil’ Heathen’ expects to stand and trade with Barao, and claims he doesn’t have to worry about point fighting against the Brazilian:
Stephens can empathize with Barao’s situation, as he moved down to featherweight after multiple losses towards the end of his run in the 155-pound division: