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MANILA, Philppines – After nearly three years on the sidelines, former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to make his long-awaited return at UFC 178 against Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki.
Cruz (19-1) has not competed since October 2011 when he outpointed Demetrious Johnson to retain the bantamweight crown at UFC Live 6.
In May 2012, while preparing for his rubber match against Urijah Faber at UFC 148, he injured his knee and had to go through a complete anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) replacement surgery.
To compound his misery, the cadaver ligament used to repair the knee was rejected by his body and he had to undergo the entire process again.
“The Dominator” was booked to square off with then-interim champion Renan Barao in a bantamweight title unification bout at UFC 169 in February 2014, but a groin injury took him out this time, prompting the world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization to strip him off the gold-plated belt.
A tough test awaits the 28-year-old Alliance MMA standout in his comeback campaign as he faces a tough opposition in Mizugaki, who is currently riding high on a five-fight winning streak.
The 5-foot-7 native of Kanagawa, Japan (20-7-2) entered the top five of the promotion’s official bantamweight rankings with a decision victory over Francisco Rivera at UFC 173 in May 2014.
Since transferring from World Extreme Cagefighting to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2011, Mizugaki has compiled a 7-2 record inside the Octagon.
Aside from the Cruz-Mizugaki tussle, UFC officials publicly confirmed on Wednesday morning, July 9 (PHI Time) that Tim Kennedy is slated to lock horns with Yoel Romero in a three-round middleweight contest.
Kennedy has won four-straight outings since yielding to Luke Rockhold in a five-round clash for the Strikeforce 185-pound trinket in July 2012, while Romero knocked out three of his last four opponents inside the cage.
UFC 178, which takes place at a yet-to-be-determined venue in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 27 (September 28 PH), is headlined by a light heavyweight championship rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. – Rappler.com
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