The former bantamweight champion could be returning to the cage that this summer for the first time in nearly 3 decades. It was reported that this week on UFC Tonight the Dominick Cruz, the former UFC bantamweight champion, is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 177, which is set to take place August 30 at Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Cruz’ head trainer at Alliance MMA at San Diego, Eric Del Fierro, their camp wants Cruz to shoot on top competition Takeya Mizugaki in his comeback game. With a triumph over Mizugaki, Cruz would put himself very near getting another crack. Cruz hasn’t fought since October 2011, when he defeated present UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson via five-round unanimous decision in a strategic affair. Overall Cruz defended the UFC/WEC bantamweight title four times between 2010 and 2011 before suffering a major knee injury in 2012 that has kept him out of the cage for more than two decades now. However, it should be noted that he currently has among the longest winning streaks of fighter in the branch with 10-straight victories over the likes of Urijah Faber, Brian Bowles, Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen, Ian McCall, and the above Johnson. Despite lost so long, the UFC allow him hold on his belt till this past year, when enough was enough and also the advertising stripped off the name from him and gave it to interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao. UFC president Dana White said that Cruz would exude an immediate title shot upon his return into the cage, but with TJ Dillashaw bothering Barao and taking the name this past May at UFC 173, it makes more sense for Cruz to combat somebody else before getting another crack at the belt. A fight between Cruz and Mizugaki would be outstanding, and it might help determine where precisely”The Dominator” fits in the branch at the present moment. At one stage he was considered one of the best five pound-for-pound fighters on earth, but after missing so much time with injury and having so much cage rust, so it is logical for him to fight someone first before getting his title shot, and the matchup involving Mizugaki makes a great deal of sense. Whether this struggle goes does, Cruz would enter the fight as a slight favorite but with this much time and with Mizugaki on such a wonderful series right now, there is no way it’s a gimme struggle by any means and there might certainly be an upset brewing if Cruz isn’t anywhere near what he used to seem like.
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