The former bantamweight champion might be returning to the cage that this summer for the first time in almost three years. It was reported this week on UFC Tonight that Dominick Cruz, the former UFC bantamweight champion, is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 177, which is set to take place August 30 at Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Cruz’ head coach at Alliance MMA in San Diego, Eric Del Fierro, their camp wants Cruz to shoot on top contender Takeya Mizugaki in his comeback game. With a win over Mizugaki, Cruz would put himself near getting another crack at the belt at 135lbs. Cruz hasn’t fought since October 2011, when he conquered current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson through five-round unanimous decision in a strategic affair. Overall Cruz defended the UFC/WEC bantamweight title four times between 2010 and 2011 before suffering a significant knee injury in 2012 which has kept him from the cage for more than two decades now. However, it should be noted that he currently has among the greatest winning streaks of any fighter in the division with 10-straight victories over the likes of Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen, Ian McCall, and the above Johnson. Despite missing so much time, the UFC allow him hold on his belt till this past year, when enough was enough and the advertising stripped the name from him and gave it into interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao. UFC president Dana White said that Cruz would garner an immediate title shot on his return to the cage, but with TJ Dillashaw bothering Barao and taking the title this past May at UFC 173, it makes more sense for Cruz to fight somebody else prior to getting another crack in the belt. A struggle between Cruz and Mizugaki would be outstanding, and it would help determine where exactly”The Dominator” matches in the branch at the current moment. At one stage he had been considered one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters on earth, but after missing so much time with injury and with so much cage rust, so it makes sense for him to fight someone first before getting his title shot, and the matchup involving Mizugaki makes a whole lot of sense. If this fight goes , Cruz would enter the struggle as a minor favorite but with so much time and with Mizugaki on this a nice series at the moment, there is no way it’s a gimme fight by any means and there might certainly be an upset brewing if Cruz isn’t anywhere near what he was used to seem like.
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