Dominick Cruz Interested In Fights With McGregor & Aldo
In the aftermath of his UFC 200 (July 9, 2016) victory over Raphael Assuncao, former 135-pound champion TJ Dillashaw made it clear that he’s interested in a rematch with reigning title holder Dominick Cruz. Dillashaw and Cruz faced off last January in a close fought bout that saw Cruz earn a split-decision victory, stealing “Killashaw’s” title in the process.
Despite Dillashaw’s comments, however, Cruz isn’t too interested in the rematch, claiming that he has nothing to prove regarding the former champion:
“I don’t care about that m———– at all,” Cruz told ESPN’s Five Rounds podcast. “I beat that dude three years off the couch. He got me at 75 percent. So, the fact he thinks he beat me is nonsense.
“I don’t need to prove anything to that guy. I don’t really care about him. There are so many other fights that are extremely important.”
Instead of the rematch, Cruz actually expressed interest in possibly moving up in weight and challenging for the featherweight title:
“Who knows? (McGregor) could get hurt in this fight against Diaz,” Cruz said. “They’d need someone to fight for the interim title. I’m willing to fight for the interim (featherweight) title and bring two belts together. Why not? I would do that in a heartbeat. That’s a much more fun, much bigger fight than anything near TJ Dillashaw. Nobody cares about that guy.”
“Or maybe Aldo gets hurt and I’ll fight Conor. Let’s go, you know what I mean? I can move up to 145 and be very competitive. I’m extremely hard to hit, I’m quick and I’ve fought at 45 before. I’m down for it because bringing two belts together to consolidate into one, not only has it not been done, it’s tough. It’s a challenge. It’s a fun, interesting matchup. That’s what people want to see right now.”
“The Dominator” has undoubtedly presented an interesting scenario here. If he were indeed to move up in weight and challenge for gold, he would attempt to become only the third man in promotional history to win titles in two different weight classes, and only the first in promotional history to simultaneously hold two titles.
Would you be interested in seeing Cruz face off with McGregor or Aldo?
