Please, oh please, let TJ Dillashaw fight Dominick Cruz soon.
Since Dillashaw took care of former bantamweight champ Renan Barao for a second time at UFC on Fox 16 in July to defend his 135-pound title, fans and critics alike have anxiously awaited the next challenge for the Team Alpha Male product.
By most accounts, that test should materialize in the form of one Dominick Cruz.
The former WEC and UFC bantamweight champion has won 11 straight, most recently defeating Takeya Mizugaki via first-round knockout at UFC 178. During this stretch, he unified the WEC and UFC titles and defended his status as the top 135 pounder inside the Octagon twice before coughing up that distinction due to prolonged injuries.
After winning his first fight in almost three years against Mizugaki, Cruz again fell victim to injury, forcing him out of the cage and into physical therapy once more.
Despite these setbacks, Cruz remains No. 2 in the UFC's official rankings, and he hasn't lost since March 2007, when Urijah Faber submitted him for his first—and only—career defeat. There's no doubt he's still a top dog in the division, and Dillashaw knows it.
That's why he lobbed a missile at Cruz on Twitter, challenging the 29-year-old Alliance MMA superstar to a good ole-fashioned throwdown.
Let's go @TheDomin8r heal that chicken leg up so I can kick your ass already. Let's sign a contract 4 @ufc New Years card. #TheBestNeverRest
— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) August 27, 2015
Not one to take a blow without countering, Cruz immediately responded with some heat of his own:
.@TJDillashaw Ill be back in plenty time to school YOU "Silly Dilly"Dnt u worry.May jus send @johnDodson back up to take care my light wrk.
— Dominick Cruz (@TheDomin8r) August 27, 2015
Ouch. In that tweet, Cruz refers to Dillashaw's knockout loss to current flyweight contender John Dodson at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale in 2011, adding a little extra vitriol to a potential matchup.
While a matchup between Dillashaw and Cruz doesn't need any trash talking or bad blood to pique the interest of fans, it certainly wouldn't hurt to bring some more eyes to a matchup between two of the most well-rounded and technically sound fighters in the sport today.
Now, we just need to hope the UFC matchmakers work some magic, rub a little healing potion on Cruz's knees and make this fight a reality.
