TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz: Who You Got?

Fight day is here, as the pivotal UFC Fight Night 81 main event between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz will decide the future of the UFC bantamweight division…

It’s been a long road back to action for the former undiaputed UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. After relinquishing his belt following a string of harrowing injuries, ‘The Dominator’ smashed Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178, setting up the title fight with the champion in his absence, TJ Dillashaw. ‘The Viper’ beat Renan Barao twice and also made mince meat of poor Joe Soto in the time Cruz has been away, and now they rock in to Boston on the back of a heated rivalry to decide the king of the 135-pounders.

Cruz’s intensity, killer footwork and rare style of striking combined with his wrestling chops are a thing of beauty, but Dillashaw is a dangerous fighter right now. Many were calling Barao the number one pound-for-pound fighter before TJ demolished the Brazilian, but of course ‘The Dominator’ is a different kind of beast.

A lot of fans believe Dillashaw’s style derives from the blocks Cruz put down during his time on top of the sport, and that he’ll claim back the title he never actually lost. Of course TJ has a fair following too, but it was interesting to see how many rampant boos he received at the Fight Night 81 weigh-ins, with Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig in tow.

There’s also a lot of talk about Cruz beng inside of the champion’s head, and if recent fights like Jose Aldo vs Conor McGregor or Rousey vs Holm are anything to go by, we know that can be a huge advantage for the antagonist.

So who do you think wins in this battle of swift-footed strikers? Will it be the original bantamweight king that walks away with his relinquished title, or the Alpha Male ‘Viper’ that keeps his belt?

Take a vote, and stay tuned to LowKick!
UFC Boston fight card and TV schedule
Event: UFC Fight Night 81: “Dillashaw vs. Cruz”
Date: Sun., Jan. 17, 2016 on FOX Sports 1
Location: TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts

FOX Sports 1 Main Event:

135 lbs.: UFC Bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz

FOX Sports 1 Main Card (10 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Eddie Alvarez vs. Anthony Pettis
265 lbs.: Travis Browne vs. Matt Mitrione
155 lbs.: Ross Pearson vs. Francisco Trinaldo

FOX Sports 1 Prelims (8 p.m. ET):

170 lbs.: Patrick Cote vs. Ben Saunders
155 lbs.: Mehdi Baghdad vs. Chris Wade
185 lbs.: Tim Boetsch vs. Ed Herman
145 lbs.: Maximo Blanco vs. Luke Sanders

UFC Fight Pass Prelims (6 p.m. ET):

155 lbs.: Daron Cruickshank vs. Paul Felder
205 lbs.: Ilir Latifi vs. Sean O’Connell
145 lbs.: Kyle Bochniak vs. Charles Rosa
135 lbs.: Rob Font vs. Joey Gomez
205 lbs.: Francimar Barroso vs. Elvis Mutapcic