TJ Dillashaw: Dominick Cruz’s ‘Alpha Fail’ Line Was A Little Uncalled For
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz made a triumphant return to the Octagon at last Saturday’s UFC 178, battering No. 6-ranked Takeya Mizugaki with a first round TKO to announce that he was back after nearly three agonizing years off dealing with injuries.
The win put moved “The Dominator” up to No. 2 in the rankings, but more importantly, it earned him a title shot against current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw. After he finished Mizugaki, Cruz proclaimed that nothing had changed and he was looking forward to beating more “Alpha Fails,” taking a direct shot at Dillashaw’s Team Alpha Male.
“The Viper” responded to Ariel Helwani of UFC Tonight, stating that while he is happy for Cruz, he’s more than willing to beat him inside the cage:
“He told me, he was very happy for him. He thought Dominick looked great. I thought his ‘Alpha Fail’ line was little uncalled for since I’ve shown nothing but respect, but I’d be happy to put him in retirement. That’s fine with me; I’ve wanted to fight him for quite some time.”
Dillashaw appears to have taken some offense to Cruz’s comments, but in reality, that’s how “The Dominator” is going to make his money now that he’s healthy and back. Dillashaw and Urijah Faber are two of the top contenders at bantamweight aside from former champion Renan Barao and No. 4-ranked Raphael Assuncao, the last man to beat Dillashaw.
He’s had a long-standing feud with Faber, whom he was slated to face for a third time when he first tore his ACL back in 2012. But with Faber losing six straight title fights, Cruz is headed for a collision course with Dillashaw at an upcoming pay-per-view (PPV).
Cruz never lost his belt, and given his dominant performance over Mizugaki, who had won five straight fights, many will be picking him to defeat Dillashaw. After all, the champion emulated Cruz’s movement-heavy style to negate the power of the once-revered Barao. Will Cruz show Dillashaw a thing or two about his style?
