Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has not lost a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight in over nine years, has finally rid himself of longtime nemesis Urijah Faber, and recently beat TJ Dillashaw to reclaim his crown.
So ... where does "The Dominator" go from here?
North!
Cruz already has his eye on the featherweight title, which is currently on hold while Conor McGregor goofs around at 170 pounds. In his absence, Jose Aldo will parade around town with the interim title until "Notorious" comes back to handle his business.
From ESPN:
"Who knows? (McGregor) could get hurt in this fight against Diaz. They'd need someone to fight for the interim title. I'm willing to fight for the interim (featherweight) title and bring two belts together. Why not? I would do that in a heartbeat. That's a much more fun, much bigger fight than anything near TJ Dillashaw. Nobody cares about that guy. Or maybe Aldo gets hurt and I'll fight Conor. Let's go, you know what I mean? I can move up to 145 and be very competitive. I'm extremely hard to hit, I'm quick and I've fought at 45 before. I'm down for it because bringing two belts together to consolidate into one, not only has it not been done, it's tough. It's a challenge. It's a fun, interesting matchup. That's what people want to see right now."
Ahem ... Mr. Dillashaw, care to retort?
And before "The Dominator" gets anywhere near the interim title, he's going to have to answer to some of the other featherweight contenders, like the red-hot Max Holloway.
No disrespect @dominickcruz but if u want to come up to 145 u gotta get inline behind me... or go through me. #beenwaitingpatiently
— Jerome-Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) July 15, 2016
How about it, fight fans, any of these match ups make sense to you?