T.J. Dillashaw is certain he has what it takes to beat Dominick Cruz in their upcoming bout for the UFC Bantamweight belt, yet to be scheduled. Interviewed by Combate.com, the champion explained that the time spent emulating Cruz’s game to help Urijah Faber’s training was crucial and now he knows the flaws of his rival.
“Of course that I absorbed a little of what he does and transformed this in my own way of doing. You can’t copy exactly what he does, you have to develop your own style. But, yes, I studied him a lot and I needed to be him while training with Urijah. I also know the holes and the weaknesses of Cruz’s game because I was trying to instruct Urijah. Then I brought that strategy for my bout. Against Renan Barao, I moved my feet a lot and that’s what Cruz does. But I think that I was a little more technical and dangerous than him. I think that I’m as elusive as him, but better.”
Dillashaw is also excited about the opportunity to face Cruz.
“That’s the fight I want, everybody wants to watch. He was away for a while because of an injury, he hasn’t lost, so I want to fight against him because he was the champion. I feel that this is the biggest fight that I can have and this is my goal, to beat him. When I began in this sport, he was the champion already. I don’t think that he changed, I hope not, because he was the champion. He looked more aggressive against Takeya Mizugaki but I think that he just did that because of his opponent. I think that against me it’s going to be completely different.”
Cruz was stripped from his title when his layoff following a 28 month layoff. Back in January, he had another injury before an unification bout for the UFC Bantamweight title against Renan Barao, who then defeated Faber on February 1, at UFC 169. A few months later, Dillashaw dethroned Barao at UFC 173 to win the belt.