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Dominick Cruz claims he’s a ‘Nightmare’ stylistic fight for UFC star Jose Aldo: ‘He’s going to be a free agent’

Dominick Cruz claims he's a nightmare fight for Jose Aldo He's going to be a free agent Dominick Cruz thinks he is a terrible matchup for Jose Aldo. Cruz vs. Aldo has been a fight many…

Dominick Cruz thinks he is a terrible matchup for Jose Aldo.

Cruz vs. Aldo has been a fight many fans have wanted to see for years, especially as both were UFC champions. However, it never came to fruition, but with the two now fighting at bantamweight it is more realistic it can come together.

It was rumored that Cruz was offered to face Aldo at UFC 301 in Brazil, but it didn’t come to fruition, which the former bantamweight champ claims was because Aldo wanted an easier fight in his return.

“Since you brought up Aldo, I’ll start with I saw his words were that they offered him to fight me but he wanted somebody in the top five, or, ‘He’s not in the top five,’” Dominick Cruz said on the “Anik & Florian Podcast” (via MMAJunkie). “Is Jonathan Martinez in the top five? OK, so there’s that. And then, why would you want to be in the top five unless you’re going to fight for the title? Is he planning on renegotiating his contract for another six fights and going for the title?

“Or do you want to make sure you secure a win to become a free agent off a win instead of a loss when you’ve got to face the likes of me, which is a nightmare? I’m not saying Jonathan Martinez isn’t a nightmare, but the way that I saw it is, he showed up on the first weigh-in and then he showed up the second weigh-in apologizing for showing up to the first weigh-in and that right there showed me that the man was learning who he was against Jose Aldo before he even got in there,” Dominick Cruz continued.

Aldo did fight out his deal at UFC 301 as he beat Martinez by decision. Currently, it’s unclear if he will re-sign.

Dominick Cruz doubts Jose Aldo will be back in the UFC

Although Aldo got a big win at UFC 301 and is in the top-10 at bantamweight, he is right back in the title picture at 135lbs.

However, Dominick Cruz doesn’t think Aldo will re-sign with the UFC and will rather go back to boxing where he was having success.

“He’s not going to renegotiate,” Cruz said. “Why would he sign for another six fights in the UFC? He’s not going to do that. He’s going to go be a free agent.”

As for Cruz, he has not fought since August of 2022 when he got knocked out by Marlon Vera.

Exclusive – Urijah Faber backs Jose Aldo to ‘Cut the line’ and fight for title after UFC 301: ‘He looked amazing’

Urijah Faber stopped by to discuss a revolutionary college MMA program that he and others will spearhead. During his…

Urijah Faber stopped by to discuss a revolutionary college MMA program that he and others will spearhead. During his time with us, he was also kind enough to share his reaction to Jose Aldo’s magnificent UFC 301 victory and Aldo’s desire to “cut the line” and fight Sean O’Malley for UFC bantamweight gold.

Faber and Aldo go way back, having shared the cage together during their title match at WEC 48 way back in 2010. Since then, the two have always been very amicable towards each other, and ‘The California Kid’ is overjoyed to see Aldo’s success at 135lbs in the UFC.

Aldo’s last outing saw him defeat a young up-and-comer named Jonathan Martinez at UFC 301. After the fight, Aldo spoke about his title ambitions and his desire to make one last run at things. Unsurprisingly, this left MMA fans very excited to see a final Jose Aldo run, and Urijah Faber didn’t falter in giving his opinion on the matter.

Urijah Faber speaks on Jose Aldo’s success at 135lbs, would love to see a final title run

When asked about Aldo skipping the line and facing Sean O’Malley for bantamweight gold, Urijah Faber was excited. “I would love to see that,” he said, speaking to Lowkick MMA reporter Makoa Goble. “I think this is one of the best (conditions) that I’ve seen Aldo (in). I think the acclimation to the weight class is big. He was always a big guy. When I fought him at 145lbs, I felt like he was a big guy.”

“I think it really took a while for his body to adjust to being a 135lber, but I thought he looked amazing. We don’t speak the same language, so when I see Aldo, it’s mostly some basic exchanges of greetings and sharing love. We’ve always had a great energy. Before we fought, after we fought, and the years after retirement for me.”

Who do you think that Sean O’Malley will defend his title against next?

Ian Garry claims Colby Covington is ‘Running’ from fight at UFC 303: ‘He doesn’t want this smoke’

Ian Garry says Colby Covington is running from him as he knows he’s a terrible stylistic matchup for ‘Chaos….

Ian Garry says Colby Covington is running from him as he knows he’s a terrible stylistic matchup for ‘Chaos.

Garry and Covington have been taking shots at one another as of late, but currently, no fight has been made or agreed to. It’s disappointing to fans that the fight is not a done deal as Garry claims Covington is running from him.

Colby Covington claims he's still the best welterweight on earth despite loss at UFC 296 — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“There’s only one person I want right now,” Ian Garry told Full Send backstage at UFC 301. “I’ve made it very f—king clear who I want. Everyone knows his name. Colby, come out, come out wherever you are. He’s running. He’s gonna keep running. He doesn’t want this smoke.

“He doesn’t want it,” he continued. “He knows that I’m a terrible stylistic match-up for him. When you look at it, I’ve never been taken down in the UFC. His only goal against me is to try to take me down and put me on my back. There’s a reason I’m in Brazil training with Demian Maia and Charles Oliveira, Chute Boxe. That’s exactly the part of my game I’m looking forward to someone bringing me to.”

Ian Garry branded championship level fighter ahead of UFC 298 with the right matchups — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

The hope for Garry was to get on UFC 303 and be the co-main event to Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

Ian Garry vows to ‘ragdoll’ Colby Covington.

Ian Garry says if Colby Covington signs the contract, he believes he would ragdoll ‘Chaos’ as he doesn’t think the fight would be close at all.

“If Colby signs that contract, I’m gonna walk out with my knee up going, ‘Take the f—kin’ thing. Take the f—kin’ thing and see what happens,’” Garry said. “I will ragdoll him. I promise you. There’s no doubt in my mind I will ragdoll him. That’s why he’s not signing the contract. That’s why he’s not agreeing to the fight. He’s avoiding all conversations with the UFC. He doesn’t want the smoke, pal.”

Garry is undefeated and has looked good in the UFC, and if he does fight and beat Covington, it would allow him to be a one away from a title shot at welterweight.

Ian Garry claims Colby Covington is ‘Running’ from fight at UFC 303: ‘He doesn’t want this smoke’

Ian Garry says Colby Covington is running from him as he knows he’s a terrible stylistic matchup for ‘Chaos….

Ian Garry says Colby Covington is running from him as he knows he’s a terrible stylistic matchup for ‘Chaos.

The hope for Garry was to get on UFC 303 and be the co-main event to Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler.

Ian Garry vows to ‘ragdoll’ Colby Covington.

Ian Garry says if Colby Covington signs the contract, he believes he would ragdoll ‘Chaos’ as he doesn’t think the fight would be close at all.

Garry is undefeated and has looked good in the UFC, and if he does fight and beat Covington, it would allow him to be a one away from a title shot at welterweight.

Steve Erceg opens up on close title fight defeat against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301: ‘I blew it’

Steve Erceg believes he blew his chance to become the UFC flyweight champion on Saturday at UFC 301. Erceg…

Steve Erceg believes he blew his chance to become the UFC flyweight champion on Saturday at UFC 301.

Erceg was fighting Alexandre Pantoja in the main event of the pay-per-view card in just his fourth UFC fight. It was an incredible rise for Erceg to even fight for the belt, but he came up just short against Pantoja, and he believes he blew his chance.

“I really thought if I could get him down I would eat up the time on the ground and make him even more tired,” Steve Erceg told FULL SEND MMA in the aftermath of UFC 301 (via MMAJunkie). “So I probably would’ve done the exact same thing. Next time I just need to be better at is. I thought it could’ve been 2-2 or 3-1 for him. I knew it was close in the third. I knew I was on the fourth. I fought to win the last round to put myself in the position that I give myself a chance. I blew it.”

Erceg shot a late takedown in the fifth round, and Pantoja ended up scrambling to get on top, and rode out the round, which could have been the difference. With Erceg leaving Brazil without the belt, he says he’s devastated by his decision but vows to be back.

“I’m obviously devastated,” Erceg said. “Despite the short notice, or three fights in the UFC, I came to win. I thought I could do it. I thought I was finishing over the top, but he out-scrambled me. He did better, and I’ll be back.”

Alexandre Pantoja Praises Steve Erceg

After UFC 301, Alexandre Pantoja heaped praise on Steve Erceg for how tough he was.

Pantoja edged out a unanimous decision win to defeat Steve Erceg and defend his flyweight title for the second time. After the win, the Brazilian had nothing but kind words to say to Erceg, but he believes he clearly won the fight.

“I think I clearly won the first three rounds of the fight,” Pantoja said through a translator at his UFC 301 post-fight media scrum (via MMAFighting). “The fourth round could of been his. The fifth round was mine, so I definitely think it was 4-1. The guy was very tough. It was what we said. This is a guy from Australia, very tough, that people didn’t really know, and he came in there to die. He was prepared to die and I think that’s what it’s all about when you fight for the championship.”

With the win at UFC 301, Pantoja improved to 28-5 as a pro. As for what’s next for him, he isn’t sure but Pantoja knows he likely will face him again in the future.

“I really want to see him against a top-five guy in this division,” Pantoja said of Steve Erceg. “I want to see how he works out. I think he’s going to gain a lot of space in this division, but right now I’m not thinking about that. I don’t want to think about the gym or fighting, I want to think about the beach. … Maybe tomorrow that changes, but for now that’s it.”

Jose Aldo calls for title fight with Sean O’Malley after UFC 301 return: ‘If we can skip the line, it would be great’

After a strong performance over Jonathon Martinez at UFC 301, the featherweight phenom Jose Aldo is ready to cut…

After a strong performance over Jonathon Martinez at UFC 301, the featherweight phenom Jose Aldo is ready to cut the line and chase one more title.

For Aldo, defeating Sean O’Malley and claiming the bantamweight title would be a beautiful note to end his career on. Although Aldo isn’t as old as we’ve seen some fighters get in the UFC, his body has so much mileage from all of the countless brutal battles it has endured.

Now, 4-1 in his last five UFC fights, the legend Jose Aldo is dreaming about another title run. He mentions how his own coach explained that a man with his type of legend status could very well just cut ahead in line and face the champion. What’s more, it’s an idea that seemingly intrigues Aldo.

Jose Aldo speaks on facing Sean O’Malley for the Bantamweight Title

According to Aldo, his coach believes they could waltz into a title shot that they haven’t really earned. Aldo kind of likes this idea, understandably, and spoke on this after his victory at #UFC301.

Jose Aldo UFC 301 2 — RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – MAY 04: Jose Aldo of Brazil reacts after his victory against Jonathan Martinez in a bantamweight bout during the UFC 301 event at Farmasi Arena on May 04, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Alexandre Loureiro/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

“[My coach] always says that with my name, I can skip the line, I can get in there because when we left, we were very well ranked…” Jose Aldo said (H/T MMA Fighting). “If we can skip the line, it would be great. It would be great. I think that’s it, I’ll get some rest and go back to strong training, and new challenges will come.”

Aldo held the UFC’s featherweight title for many years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the division. In his footsteps, of course, came champions like Max Holloway and then eventually Alexander Volkanovski.

Sean O'Malley claims he has information that would ruin family man Marlon Vera UFC — Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger – Zuffa LLC

Now, Aldo fights at bantamweight, and could truly ride off into the sunset with one more title to add to his collection. Such a fight would be very hard to get off of simply beating Jonathan Martinez, though, and regardless of whether he wishes to skip the line or not, one could imagine Aldo needs a few more solid victories at least to challenge for the bantamweight throne.

What do you think the future holds for the bantamweight division?