MMA ODDS AND ENDS FOR FRIDAY: CRUZ RUMORED TO RETURN AT UFC 177
The former bantamweight champion might be returning to the cage this summer for the first time in almost three decades. It was reported that this week on UFC Tonight the Dominick Cruz, the former UFC bantamweight champion, is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 177, that is set to take place August 30 at Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Cruz’ head trainer at Alliance MMA in San Diego, Eric Del Fierro, their camp needs Cruz to shoot on top competition Takeya Mizugaki in his comeback game. With a win over Mizugaki, Cruz would put himself very near getting another crack. Cruz hasn’t fought since October 2011, when he conquered current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson through five-round unanimous decision in a strategic event. Total Cruz defended the UFC/WEC bantamweight title four times between 2010 and 2011 before suffering a major knee injury in 2012 which has kept him out of the cage for over two decades now. However, it ought to be noted that he has one of the longest winning streaks of fighter in the division with 10-straight victories over the likes of Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen, Ian McCall, and the aforementioned Johnson. Despite lost so long, the UFC allow him hold on his belt until this past year, when enough was enough and also the promotion stripped the name from him and gave it into interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao. UFC president Dana White explained that Cruz would garner an immediate title shot on his return into the cage, but with TJ Dillashaw bothering Barao and taking the name this past May in UFC 173, it makes more sense for Cruz to fight someone else before getting another crack in the belt. A struggle between Cruz and Mizugaki would be excellent, and it might help determine where precisely”The Dominator” fits in the branch at the current moment. At one point he had been considered one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but after missing a long time with harm and having so much cage rust, it makes sense for him to struggle someone first before obtaining his title shot, and the matchup involving Mizugaki leaves a whole lot of sense. Whether this fight goes does, Cruz would enter the struggle as a minor favorite but with so much time off and with Mizugaki on such a nice series at the moment, there’s no way it’s a gimme fight by any means and there could certainly be an upset brewing if Cruz isn’t anywhere close to what he used to seem like.
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