T.J. Dillashaw called out Dominick Cruz again this week, accusing the UFC Bantamweight Champion of running from him after their close title fight in January.
“It’s comical to me how much of a pussy [Dominick Cruz] is,” Dillashaw wrote on Instagram. “Trying to do whatever he can to not fight me, pushing to fight senior citizens that should be in a retirement home. Now wanting to jump weight classes to fight so he can avoid me. As usual, he’s running and doesn’t want to fight, he and I both know I won that first fight and he’ll say what ever he can to avoid giving back what’s rightfully mine! I’m his biggest threat. Stop running, let’s get this on paper UFC.”
Cruz responded in an interview with Fox Sports, downplaying Dillashaw as a challenger and reacting to Dillashaw’s choice of words.
“I woke up [Thursday] morning and had no idea,” Cruz said. “I wouldn’t have watched T.J. Dillashaw’s fight if I wasn’t commentating. And I think a lot of people would agree with me that if it wasn’t tagged to UFC 200, they wouldn’t have watched it either. The bottom line is, I don’t really care what these guys think. T.J. Dillashaw called me out, what else is new?
“The truth is, T.J. Dillashaw calling me the p-word, doesn’t make sense to me. If fact, he’s insulting himself, which is so stupid to me, because I already beat him … so if I’m a p-word, what does that make him after I beat him after three years off the couch? So literally the guy is just insulting himself. The guy is not intelligent – that’s why I call him silly Billy – he’s a meathead, and the bottom line is I don’t run from anybody.”
Penick’s Analysis: If Cruz doesn’t fight Dillashaw next then it can be argued he’s actively avoiding that fight. He should have lost the decision in January, and Dillashaw not getting a chance to avenge that wouldn’t be a good look for Cruz or the UFC, although it’s possible we see them try to hot shot someone like John Lineker into that spot. It made sense enough to book the Cruz-Faber rubber match to get it done and out of the way, but there isn’t anyone else who should be getting that fight ahead of Dillashaw right now.
[Photo (c) Bob DeChiara via USA Today Sports]
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Cruz – Dillashaw is the proper fight to make, despite that being what Dillashaw wants. Cruz didn’t chase to get the Faber fight, that was management’s doing. But TJ is clearly the best BW contender out there, so make the fight. No reason for Cruz to fight outside his division when his division, for the first time ever, has real momentum.
In no particular order:
TJ
Lineker
Dodson
Caraway
Garbrandt
Assuncao – last, in particular order.
So, yeah. If Cruz keeps campaigning for anyone other than TJ, and then GETS anyone other than TJ, he’s ducking a tough fight against the right guy.
He’s not ducking. He just wants a fight that will pay him the most money. A rematch with TJ isnt it.
And Penick, writing stuff like – “He should have lost the decision in January” like it’s a fact is annoying. LOTS of people scored that fight to Cruz, it was in no way a robbery