Naj85
10-09-2015, 03:12
The first UFC title fight to air on FOX Sports 1 will be a big one.
UFC bantamweight champion*T.J. Dillashaw*(12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and former titleholder*Dominick Cruz*(20-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will collide in a long-awaited title bout at a newly announced UFC event on Jan. 17 in Boston, likely to be UFC Fight Night 81.
UFC President Dana White announced the contest on Wednesday night’s*edition of “UFC Tonight” on FOX Sports 1. The championship bout will be the first to air on a FOX Sports 1-televised fight card.
“If you really look at Dominick Cruz, he never really lost the title,” White said. “The superfight for T.J. right now is Cruz. Cruz has never been beat (in a title fight), and really is still the champion. He got stripped of the title because he can’t stay healthy.”
Dillashaw made his second consecutive title defense in July when he stopped Renan Barao by TKO for a second time at UFC on FOX 16. “The Ultimate Fighter 14” runner-up won the title from Barao in May 2014 and has dominated the competition since entering championship territory,*winning all three of his UFC title fights by knockout.
Prior to Dillashaw and Barao’s title reigns it was Cruz that held the 135-pound belt. He inherited the title when the division was added to the UFC when the now-defunct WEC organization closed its doors in December 2010.
Upon joining the UFC roster, Cruz defended the belt twice against Urijah Faber and current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson before he encounters a difficult string of injuries.
Cruz suffered his*first knee injury*while coaching “The Ultimate Fighter 15” opposite Faber in 2012. He expected to make a return within a year but asecond knee surgery*created another setback and Cruz was*stripped of the title.
“The Dominator” finally returned to the octagon after nearly three years at UFC 178 in September 2014. He knocked out veteran contender Takeya Mizugaki in*61 seconds*and was in line to challenge for the belt he never lost. Unfortunately, Cruz wasstruck by injury again*in December and he’s been out of action since.
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the*UFC Rumors*section of the site.
Source: mmajunkie.com
UFC bantamweight champion*T.J. Dillashaw*(12-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and former titleholder*Dominick Cruz*(20-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) will collide in a long-awaited title bout at a newly announced UFC event on Jan. 17 in Boston, likely to be UFC Fight Night 81.
UFC President Dana White announced the contest on Wednesday night’s*edition of “UFC Tonight” on FOX Sports 1. The championship bout will be the first to air on a FOX Sports 1-televised fight card.
“If you really look at Dominick Cruz, he never really lost the title,” White said. “The superfight for T.J. right now is Cruz. Cruz has never been beat (in a title fight), and really is still the champion. He got stripped of the title because he can’t stay healthy.”
Dillashaw made his second consecutive title defense in July when he stopped Renan Barao by TKO for a second time at UFC on FOX 16. “The Ultimate Fighter 14” runner-up won the title from Barao in May 2014 and has dominated the competition since entering championship territory,*winning all three of his UFC title fights by knockout.
Prior to Dillashaw and Barao’s title reigns it was Cruz that held the 135-pound belt. He inherited the title when the division was added to the UFC when the now-defunct WEC organization closed its doors in December 2010.
Upon joining the UFC roster, Cruz defended the belt twice against Urijah Faber and current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson before he encounters a difficult string of injuries.
Cruz suffered his*first knee injury*while coaching “The Ultimate Fighter 15” opposite Faber in 2012. He expected to make a return within a year but asecond knee surgery*created another setback and Cruz was*stripped of the title.
“The Dominator” finally returned to the octagon after nearly three years at UFC 178 in September 2014. He knocked out veteran contender Takeya Mizugaki in*61 seconds*and was in line to challenge for the belt he never lost. Unfortunately, Cruz wasstruck by injury again*in December and he’s been out of action since.
For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the*UFC Rumors*section of the site.
Source: mmajunkie.com