UFC 178: The event that was supposed to be the grudge match between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. UFC 178: The stacked pay-per-view that is headlined by the “non-draw” that is the flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. UFC 178: The long awaited debut of former Bellator Lightweight Champion, Eddie Alvarez. And UFC 178: The event that will prove whether or not Irish sensation Conor McGregor is a legitimate contender in the featherweight division. One thing that continues to fly under the radar and is not on the marquee for UFC 178 is the return of former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Dominick Cruz.
Dominick Cruz returns to the UFC against the fifth ranked Takeya Mizugaki on September 27, 2014. When he steps foot into the octagon it will be exactly four days short of three years from his last fight, one in which he defeated main eventer, Demetrious Johnson.
Cruz has only fought in the UFC two times so far, but both had been main events. At UFC 178, he will also be in the main event, but only on the preliminary card, which takes place on FOX Sports 1. Cruz has not been on the preliminary card of an event since way back in 2009 when he got a victory over Iván López at WEC 40.
So, Cruz who is used to the bright lights and championship fights was not the main guy in the spotlight leading up to this event. This had to be refreshing for him because for the last two plus years, he has had to answer the same exact questions in every interview regarding his injuries.
With a record of 19-1 and having not lost in over seven years, Cruz is still one of the very best fighters on the planet regardless of weight class. The San Diego native is already in title contention being that he never was defeated for his title and with a win over Mizugaki, he would make the claim that he is the number one contender. Although not the biggest fight of the night, MMA fans will be in for a treat when the returning Dominick Cruz takes on a man in Takeya Mizugaki that is riding a five fight-winning streak. It is not often, but this preliminary bout has major title implications and can very well crown the next challenger to TJ Dillashaw’s bantamweight title.
