And Still! Five Reasons TJ Dillashaw Will Defeat Dominick Cruz

TJ Dillashaw has established himself as a legitimate champion at 135 pounds throughout his recent UFC title reign which took off back in May 2014.

It was in the main event of UFC 173 that Dillashaw defied all odds by absolutely dismantling previously dominant champion Renan Barao in one of the biggest upsets the sport has ever seen.

“The Viper” would then go on to finish late replacement Joe Soto at UFC 177 before once again running a demolition course through Barao in the rematch at last July’s UFC on FOX 16.

With three straight finishes under his belt, the 29 year old champion seems to have the division in his palm. However, there remains one rather large could looming over the title status of Dillashaw

Despite his recent successes, Dillashaw has yet to climb one specific mountain, and yet to conquer one specific challenger and that would be former divisional kingpin Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz.

Cruz, a man many consider to be the very best bantamweight to ever grace the canvas, has never lost at 135 pounds, sporting an ultra-impressive 20-1 career record.

“The Dominator’s” career, however, has been plagued by injuries, as he’s only competed once over the last four years due to multiple knee surgeries as well as a groin injury, leading the UFC to strip him of his title in 2014.

In less than one week’s time, Cruz will make his return in a massive showdown with you guessed it…TJ Dillashaw. The two champion’s will collide in the main event of January 17’s UFC Fight Night 81 with a tremendous amount at stake.

The fledgling champion will face the toughest test of his career against Cruz, but he may just rise to the occasion.

Let’s take a look at five reasons why “The Viper” will topple “The Dominator”:

Motivation

As previously mentioned, Cruz is widely regarded as the best the bantamweight division has ever seen. He has taken out the likes of numerous former champions and top contenders and has run through nearly everything put in front of him throughout his career.

That being said, “The Dominator” never technically lost his title. He was never beaten, nor did he surrender it to another man after a loss.

Until Dillashaw can take out Cruz, it’s tough to consider “The Viper” the true champion. Sure, it’s not Dillashaw’s fault that Cruz’s body hasn’t held up, and he’s down a phenomenal job at rising to the occasion and doing what was needed to be done to sport UFC gold.

In the end, however, you have to beat the best to be the best right? Dillashaw will get his chance to prove to the world that he’s here to stay, a factor that should provide him with endless amounts of motivation.

With a win over Cruz, “Killashaw” will solidify his position atop the 135 pound division, and possibly even etch his name into the history books amongst the best of all-time, and I’d have to assume he’s hungrier than ever to do so.

This along with his motivation to avenge the trash talk of Cruz could provide for the best version of the champion we’ve seen to date.

Activeness

While some may argue that he hasn’t been too active fighting just three times in the last 18 months, Dillashaw has obviously been more active than the oft-injured Cruz, and that could play into his favor here.

Since an October 2011 win over reigning flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, “The Dominator” has competed just once. He returned in September 2014 to meet top 10-ranked Takeya Mizugaki, blasting the Japanese born fighter just minutes into the first round.

While Cruz appeared to have no ring rust in that scrap, it’s just hard to tell how he will look after yet another injury, not to mention that he will be facing the division’s top gun this time around.

While the ex-champ has been on the sidelines, Dillashaw has continued to improve each time out, and if he continues to fight how he has in his last few fights, he could very well leave Boston a happy man this upcoming weekend.

Offensive Striking Power

Both Dillashaw and Cruz are insanely similar, but “The Dominator” seems to be the more defensive fighter, and a defensive master he is.

However, the champion’s strength lies in his offensive striking, specifically his output, accuracy, and power. He lands a simply scary 5.81 significant strikes per minute according to Fightmetric.com, and he has shown the ability to change a fight with one huge blow, as he did in the first round of his first clash with Barao.

With half of his wins coming by way of knockout, Dillashaw has continued to improve his striking arsenal, varying his attacks in expert fashion.

We must of course note that Cruz is tremendously hard to hit, sporting an impressive 76.5% defense rating.

That being said, one shot can change a fight. Given “Killashaw’s” power and relentless supply of devastating blows, the former champion may find himself in some trouble.

Training Full Time With Duane Ludwig

As previously mentioned, throughout Dillashaw’s prolific rise to the top, his striking has undoubtedly been his strength, and this facet of his game has been constantly improving.

Much of this improvement may be due to “Killashaw’s” time working under the tutelage of striking guru Duane “Bang” Ludwig. Ludwig served as the head coach of Sacramento’s Team Alpha Male for a few years, taking not only Dillashaw, but the majority of team to new heights.

It was under the instruction of Ludwig in which Dillashaw transformed into a championship level fighter and the close knit bond between the two was well documented. Despite the seemingly perfect fit, “Bang” would recently pack up his bags and head back to his native Colorado to run his own gym.

Dillashaw continued to work with his mentor leading up to his last fight, splitting time between Sacramento and Denver. While this method is reasonable, it may not be best for a fighter.

That being said, Dillashaw has since packed up his bags as well, leaving his long-time home at Team Alpha Male to head to Colorado in order to join Elevation Fight Team and to train with Ludwig full time.

Being back with “Bang” on a daily basis should be able to produce the best version of the champion we’ve seen to date, and it could spell bad news for “The Dominator”.

Dillashaw Has Taken Cruz’s Style To New Heights

Both Dillashaw and Cruz are very similar fighter stylistically, using styles that focus heavily on footwork, movement, and the changing of stances.

The two have been compared quite often, and Dillashaw has even been accused of copying Cruz’s style in order to become champion.

While this may be somewhat true, “The Dominator” has unfortunately been watching it happen from the sidelines, and in that time, “Killashaw” has taken this style to another level.

Possibly taking a thing or two from the ex-boss, Dillashaw has constructed his own tricky and effective way of fighting, and has used it to run rampant through his recent opponents.

While we have yet to see whether or not he’ll be able to outclass the master, Dillashaw could very well use “The Dominator’s” bread and butter against him on route to victory.

Who do you see walking away with the title in Boston?