Dominick Cruz on TJ Dillashaw and Team Alpha Fail: 'I cut one head off and another one keeps popping up'

I'm sure Dominick Cruz thought -- like most fans in the mixed martial arts (MMA) community -- that after he disposed of Urijah Faber, he would be done with Team Alpha Male. Or as he called them in the wake of his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) return, "Team Alpha Fail."

Not just yet.

That's because Faber has passed the torch -- kinda, sorta -- to fellow Alpha Male TJ Dillashaw, who did what "The California Kid" could not, and stopped Renan Barao to claim the 135-pound strap. The same one Cruz was forced to surrender due to injuries.

And now he wants it back (via MMA Junkie):

"It just goes back a long time, man. The truth is, I cut one head off and another one keeps popping up. So I've already realized in my head, I'm fighting these guys. If it's all of them, okay, let's do it. I have a good track record against their style of fighting, and it's not a personal thing when it comes to T.J. Dillashaw. It's just, man, he's got my belt, and he thinks it's his, and it's not. So it's me vs. Team Alpha Male."

Cruz and Dillashaw will settle their score in early 2015, according to UFC President Dana White.

"The Dominator" returned to the cage at UFC 178 last month in Las Vegas, Nevada, destroying Takeya Mizugaki after three years on the sidelines (watch it). In addition to avenging his loss to Faber at UFC 132, Cruz holds a pair of decision wins over former Alpha Male (and current flyweight contender) Joseph Benavidez.

Is "The Viper" next?