MMA ODDS AND ENDS FOR FRIDAY: CRUZ RUMORED TO RETURN AT UFC 177

The former bantamweight champion might be returning to the cage this summer for the first time in almost three years. It was reported that this week on UFC Tonight that Dominick Cruz, the former UFC bantamweight champion, is targeting a return to the Octagon at UFC 177, that can be set to take place August 30 at Las Vegas, Nevada. According to Cruz’ head trainer at Alliance MMA in San Diego, Eric Del Fierro, their camp needs Cruz to shoot on top contender Takeya Mizugaki in his comeback match. With a win over Mizugaki, Cruz would place himself really near getting another crack. Cruz hasn’t fought since October 2011, when he defeated current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson via five-round unanimous decision in a tactical affair. Total Cruz defended the UFC/WEC bantamweight title four occasions between 2010 and 2011 before suffering a significant knee injury in 2012 that has kept him out of the cage for more than two years now. But it should be noted that he currently has among the greatest 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 aforementioned Johnson. Despite missing so much time, the UFC allow him hold onto his belt till last year, when enough was enough and 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 garner a direct title shot on his return into the cage, but using TJ Dillashaw bothering Barao and taking the name this past May in UFC 173, it makes more sense for Cruz to combat somebody else before getting another crack at the belt. A struggle between Cruz and Mizugaki are outstanding, and it would help determine where exactly”The Dominator” fits in the division at the current time. At one stage he was considered one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters on earth, but after missing so much time with injury and with so much cage rust, it makes sense for him to struggle somebody first before obtaining his title shot, and the matchup involving Mizugaki makes a great deal of sense. Whether this fight goes , Cruz would put in the fight as a slight favorite but with so much time and also with Mizugaki on such a wonderful streak right now, there’s no way it’s a gimme struggle by any means and there could certainly be an upset brewing if Cruz is not anywhere close to what he used to seem like.
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