After a four-year hiatus, former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz will make his return to the octagon as he’s set to fight current title holder, Henry Cejudo.
However, before the two competitors clash at UFC 249 this weekend, the promotion has uploaded the night when Dominick Cruz recaptured the 135-pound belt. The fight was against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC Fight Night 81 where the former two-time champion entered the octagon with the belt around his waist.
Going in, Dillashaw was in the midst of a four-fight winning streak, besting Mike Easton (via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 35), Renan Barão (via TKO at both UFC 173 and UFC on Fox 16), and Joe Soto (via knockout at UFC 177).
However, Cruz was entering the contest with a huge wave of momentum as the bantamweight was on a 10-fight winning streak, beating names such as Joseph Benavidez (World Extreme Cagefighting 42 and 50), Urijah Faber (UFC 132), and Demetrious Johnson (UFC on Versus 6) before clashing against Dillashaw in Boston, Massachusetts.
Cruz was looking to reclaim the belt that he never lost as the 35-year-old was forced to relinquish the championship due to the numerous injuries that he sustained during his title reign. The 35-year-old successfully defended the belt twice before handing it over to Dana White.
Not surprisingly, the bantamweight fight was a highly anticipated contest that didn’t disappoint. The exciting back-and-forth match-up concluded with Cruz winning back the prestigious championship; however, Dillashaw defended the belt like a true champion. Check out the excellent fight between the two competitors below: