Dominick Cruz returns, fights John Lineker on Jan. 26 in Anaheim

He’s back!

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, will make his return to mixed martial arts (MMA) when he collides with power-punching John Lineker at the upcoming UFC 233 pay-per-view (PPV) event, set for Jan. 26, 2019 inside Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

The 33 year-old Cruz (22-2) has been out of action for nearly two years, thanks to yet another debilitating injury. His last Octagon appearance resulted in a unanimous decision loss to Cody Garbrandt, who’s since moved on to drop the 135-pound strap to reigning division kingpin, TJ Dillashaw.

As for Lineker (31-8), he came up empty to the aforementioned Dillashaw after abandoning his post at 125 pounds. Since then, “Hands of Stone” has racked up back-to-back wins over Marlon Vera and Brian Kelleher, the latter of which ended by devastating knockout.

As of this writing, UFC 233 is still without a main event; however, the flyweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw is currently slotted to co-headline. Elsewhere on the card, Ben Askren makes his UFC debut opposite Robbie Lawler.