Dominick Cruz calls for fight with winner of Garbrandt vs. Dillashaw

Former UFC bantamweight kingpin Dominick Cruz took some time off from fighting following his UFC 207 loss to Cody Garbrandt, which saw him lose the UFC bantamweight title.

Following the loss, Cruz opted to let the UFC book a Cody Garbrandt vs. TJ Dillashaw fight while he took some time off to rest. Now however, with Garbrandt and Dillashaw’s coaching stint on TUF done, and the pair set to fight at UFC 213, Cruz is looking to secure a fight with the winner.

He spoke to MMAFighting:

“I just had to give my body a little rest from the beatdown from martial arts for a couple of months,” Cruz said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I fought those three fights last year. That’s three title fights against some of the best guys in the world, back-to-back, after the layoff I had. That was a good year for me. I put a lot of work in. And so I took a little bit of time, three or four months I’ve taken to just heal. I’ve been training. I shot stem cells into both of my feet, I shot stem cells into my shoulders, just to make sure I take a second and I marinate and heal. Marinate and rest and just let my body get 100 percent.

“I’d like to come back and fight for the title. That’s my goal. I wasn’t completely out of that (Garbrandt) fight come that fifth round. I was still in the fight. I was in the fight the entire time, so I definitely want to get another shot at that, and that’s what I’m looking for and focused on more than anything, is fighting the winner of T.J. Dillashaw (versus) Cody Garbrandt. That’s what I want. I think that’s what the fans want.”

Dominick Cruz of course went undefeated for a decade, and had been undefeated in the UFC. Given that, it’s highly likely that the UFC will grant him his wish.

on 5/3/2017.