TJ Dillashaw: Dominick Cruz will “try and retire before he fights me again”

In one week’s time, in the co-main event of UFC 207, bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will attempt to defend his title against undefeated challenged Cody Garbrandt. Though Garbrandt has yet to beat a top-5 opponent, his incredible punching power and sizzling beef with the champ have most members of the MMA community pretty excited for their fight. That does not include former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who recently weighed in on Garbrandt’s title shot in an interview with Fox Sports.

“Really it’s all just kind of bullsh*t,” Dillashaw said of Cruz’ bout with Garbrandt. “It makes no sense at all how they give the No. 8 guy, who skips over seven guys to get a title shot. It’s kind of whatever the UFC wants to do and they’re letting Dominick Cruz hand select his fights right now.”

“They’ve built this up ever since Cody’s fight [with Thomas Almeida], they watched them talk crap about each other since May and built this whole thing up. They’re letting him pick the guys he wants to fight.”

While Dillashaw understands that part of this reason Cruz and Garbrandt were matched up is their highly publicized beef, he also believes it has a lot to do with the fact that Cruz doesn’t want to fight him.

“I know for sure Cruz doesn’t want to fight me,” he said. “I know it 100-percent. Everything that I possibly did to hype up the fight to try and get it, he just wouldn’t acknowledge it, he wouldn’t talk to reporters about a rematch between me and him and he did everything possible not to even mention my name.”

“That’s just an obvious sign that he doesn’t want to fight me. He knows I won [our first] fight and he knows I’m going to be able to figure him out even better the second time and he’s going to do whatever he can to avoid me.”

Finally, Dillashaw voiced his belief that Cruz will retire before he gives him a rematch.

“I truly believe he’s going to try and retire before he fights me again,” Dillashaw said. “That’s just my bet. It’s going to be ridiculous if that ends up happening. I don’t know what’s behind it for the UFC with Dominick Cruz cause it’s not like he’s an entertaining fighter. He’s good but he’s not one of those guys everyone’s waiting in line to watch. So I don’t understand that.”

Do you think Dillashaw will ever get his rematch with Cruz? Sound off, PENN Nation!