Dominick Cruz just took a shot at UFC bantamweight MMA champ T.J. Dillashaw in a recent interview at the The MMA Hour.
Even though Dillashaw had beat Renan Barao in their rematch during the UFC on FOX 16 event, Cruz wasn’t impressed and even called Dillashaw an imitator.
After this surprising shot at Dillashaw, the current bantamweight champ had his chance to answer back last Tuesday during The MMA Hour. Dillashaw focused on what Cruz said about him stealing Cruz’s footwork and style. He even defended his part saying that Cruz isn’t the first fighter to do such strategies.
“It’s so ridiculous, he’s saying he’s the first fighter to ever create movement? Was he the first fighter to ever throw a jab or feint? It’s pretty ridiculous, when you really think about it. Because I switch my feet and change stances, I’m Dominick Cruz?,” Dillashaw said.
So now, Dillashaw is driven more than ever to do better should his fight with Cruz materialize. Cruz is still on the process of getting back on his feet and be healthy enough to fight inside the octagon. Dillashaw said that once Cruz is back in the game, he will show the difference between the two fights.
“For one, he switches stances to run away and throw one shot. I’ve never even seen him throw a combo or look that great from the opposite stance. You know? I think I’m leaps and bounds ahead of him on my standup. I think I’m going to prove it, when we fight he’s going to get knocked out,” Dillashaw said.
Dillashaw even said that his fight with Cruz will be the easiest one to finish compared to all of his previous fights with former MMA champ Barao. Dillashaw has fought Barao twice, both of which he won.
“I think I’ll finish Cruz faster than I finished Barao. Cruz has got a crazy style. But I think I’m going to finish him quicker than I finished Barao” he said.
Cruz has been winning every fight since he went to the 135-pound division; his fight record right now is going 10-0 in the current division. But he wasn’t always in the 135-pound division. When he was in his WEC days, he was not in the 135-pound division; he was in the 145-pound division. Cruz still lingers over the division even though he was only able to fight just once over the past four years because of his injuries.
Even though the two fighters have been throwing shots at each other, Dillashaw said that he still respects Cruz and what the fighter has achieved in the mma industry. He further admitted that he knows would be a huge career achievement for him if he would be able to defeat Cruz in their bout.