5 most logical opponents for Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz is a true legend in the sport of MMA. He's won the UFC bantamweight championship on multiple occasions and remains one of the divison's best fighters at the age of 36. He is currently in the process of trying to make one last run at the title, which makes his next step an interesting one.
Oct1.2011
Dominick Cruz makes the 2nd defense of his UFC Bantamweight title,
when he def. Demetrious Johnson by unanimous decision https://t.co/Oz0B3egMDD
Cruz is currently the no. 7 ranked fighter at bantamweight and has won his last two bouts. He appears set on trying to reclaim the top spot in the division and has expressed his desire to take the quickest route possible to the belt. However, there are plenty of other fighters with similar intentions.
Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling are scheduled for a title unification fight at UFC 273 and beneath them Jose Aldo and T.J. Dillashaw are lying in wait. No. 5 ranked Rob Font is also scheduled to face Marlon Vera on April 30 meaning many of the division's biggest names are already tied up.
With that in mind, here are the five most logical opponents for Dominick Cruz's next fight:
#5. Dominick Cruz vs. Song Yadong
Song Yadong followed up his recent victory over Marlon Moraes by calling out the former champion Dominick Cruz. He cited the storied rivalry between Cruz and Team Alpha Male as motivation for the fight and it helps that both men are close to each other in the UFC rankings.
Song Yadong says he wants Dom Cruz next. He also speaks English really well! Who knew?!
The fight would be an interesting clash between two different generations of bantamweights. Cruz has done and seen it all in the division, whilst Yadong appears to be on his way to his own long and successful run at the top of the weight class. This dynamic would provide a fun storyline for this potential match-up.
However, Cruz has been very clear that he is trying to get back to a title shot as quickly as possible and that might derail this bout. Cruz is the higher ranked competitor and given his back-to-back wins, he will likely be targeting a fighter above him in the rankings.