Dominick Cruz Cleared To Return, Meets TJ Dillashaw In January

Ariel Helwani has reported on tonight’s (September 9, 2015) edition of UFC Tonight that oft-injured former bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has finally been cleared to resume full-contact mixed martial arts (MMA) training with no limitations.

Cruz has suffered multiple knee and groin injuries over the years, and has actually only competed once over the last four years. Unable to stay healthy, “The Dominator” was stripped of his 135-pound title in 2014 after he was forced out of a title unifier bout with then interim champion Renan Barao.

Having never technically lost the title, Cruz returned from a three year layoff last September at UFC 178, and absolutely obliterated then top-five ranked Takeya Mizugaki in a very fast and brutal first-round pummeling. With such an impressive return, the former champion was handed a shot at current bantamweight king TJ Dillashaw, but the injury bug once again hit.

Cruz has been out ever since, and was planning on returning to action by the end of the year, and that still seems to be the plan according to Helwani.

“The Dominator” is unbeaten at 135-pounds, and could be considered the very best bantamweight of all-time, making a bout with Dillashaw an intriguing one, and a necessary one. Many have actually compared the two, which doesn’t make “Killashaw” happy, for their similar styles based on footwork, movement, and stance switches.

A showdown between Dillashaw and Cruz is undoubtedly the fight to make in the bantamweight division, and Dana White appeared later on UFC Tonight to announce that two will finally meet on January 17, 2015 on FOX Sports 1.  Here’s to hoping that the former king can finally stay healthy.

Who do you see sporting UFC gold when this fight finally takes place?