And New! Four Reasons Dominick Cruz Will Dethrone TJ Dillashaw

After a breath taking weekend for the UFC in which UFC 195 went down last Saturday (January 2, 2015) from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, it’s currently an off week for the world’s largest MMA promotion.

However, the Octagon will soon make its way to Boston, Massachusetts as UFC Fight Night 81 is scheduled for Sunday January 17, 2015 live and free on FOX Sports 1.

In the midst of the craziness surrounding the NFL playoffs, the UFC will bring a stacked card to the TD Garden with a highly-anticipated headliner.

Reigning bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw will put his title on the line for the third time against former divisional kingpin Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz in a long awaited affair.

The bout has been talked about for quite some time and has an interesting backstory to go along with it.

The former champion in Cruz never actually lost his title, but rather was stripped of the crown due to a laundry list of injuries.

Now seemingly healthy, let’s take a look at five reasons why “The Dominator” will end up back on top in Boston:

Mind Games

While not necessarily known for his trash talk, Cruz has seemed to have ramped up the banter a bit for this showdown with Dillashaw.

The two have brewed up quite the rivalry, constantly going back and forth in the media, and even back and forth with each other during interviews where both have been present.

“The Dominator’s” talk was put on full display in a recent snip of an edition of Counterpunch, where he vividly explained to Dillashaw why he was the better man, and why he would win come fight night.

Usually level headed, cool, and confident, the champion seemed to have been left speechless, and a bit rattled.

While it’s hard to tell whether or not Dillashaw will be affected inside of the cage, it’s clear that Cruz may have gotten under his skin a bit which may not be a good thing for “Killashaw”.

Striking Defense

One of Dillashaw’s strong points is that he hits hard and he hits often, landing an insane 5.81 significant strikes per minute according to Fightmetric.com.

Honing his striking skills under the tutelage of Duane “Bang” Ludwig, the champion has won each of his last three bouts by way of knockout or technical knockout, proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

There may just be one problem, however, and that would be that Cruz is extremely hard to hit.

“The Dominator” uses impeccable head movement and footwork and boasts extremely high striking defense at 76.5%.

If Dillashaw finds himself constantly swinging at air it could lead to a frustrated champion, who may leave himself open to the attacks of Cruz where the former boss will look to capitalize.

Experience and Knowledge

In his time away from competing, Cruz has taken a role as an analyst for FOX Sports and it has been discovered that the Alliance MMA product is actually one of the most knowledgeable and analytical men in the sport.

Cruz is extremely precise in picking apart fights, and he appears to see things in a way most fighters do not, which can also be seen on the episode of Counterpunch.

On top of being an extremely smart fighter, “The Dominator” has a wealth of experience to his name, and not only experience, but championship level experience.

A former WEC champion as well as a UFC champion, Cruz has had a whopping 21 professional fights in which he lost just one. In that stretch, he has taken on and beaten the likes of Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson, Joseph Benavidez, and Ian McCall.

Constantly battling former champions, and highly ranked fighters, Cruz’s resume appears to be better than that of Dillashaw’s.

Ultimately, “The Dominator” has been at this game for a while, competing at the highest level which will undoubtedly play into his favor against Dillashaw.

Cruz Essentially Created Dillashaw’s Style

Leading up their inevitable clash, Dillashaw and Cruz have constantly been compared as the two are very similar fighters.

With a wrestling background, the champion has turned into quite the striker, using strong foot work and the switching of stances.

That being said, some have went as far to say that Dillashaw copied Cruz and they may have a point.

Footwork, changing stances, and head movement is something that “The Dominator” has used for years. The former king essentially created this style which could be the biggest reason that he will regain his title.

Cruz has almost perfected this way of fighting and has used it to run through nearly everyone in his path. Aside from that, he should be ready and able to defend against something he knows so well.

Dillashaw may have been able to use these tactics to get to the top, but can he outclass the master on fight night?

Only time will tell.