Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominic Cruz will step foot inside the Octagon after almost three years on the shelf. At UFC 178, Cruz will take on Takeya Mizugaki.
UFC officials announced the latest match-up on Tuesday evening.
Dominick Cruz vs Takeya Mizugaki added to UFC 178
Cruz (19-1) held both the WEC and UFC championship for over a year, when he beat Brian Bowles to capture the crown. He defended the belt on four occasions, including twice inside the UFC Octagon against Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson.
The former champ was stripped of his title earlier this year after a number of injuries set him back. Cruz underwent his second knee surgery in 2012, because the first attempt Cruz’s body didn’t take. A torn groin then took him out of his comeback fight against Renan Barao to unify the interim championship at UFC 169.
Mizugaki (20–7–2) is riding a five-fight winning streak inside the UFC Octagon. All five of those fights have come by way of unanimous decision, with his most recent a judges nod against Francisco Rivera at UFC 173.
The Cruz vs. Mizugaki bout will likely take place on the PPV portion of the UFC 178 fight card.
UFC 178 goes down on September 27 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson square off for the UFC light heavyweight championship.
