TJ Dillashaw discusses possible rematch with Dominick Cruz

On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 227, UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw stepped into the cage for a rematch with his arch rival, former champ Cody Garbrandt. In this rematch, Dillashaw once again knocked Garbrandt out, moving to 2-0 over the champ, and effectively killing their rivalry in the process.

Now that the Garbrandt saga of his career has concluded, Dillashaw can look to forward to his next challenge. One of the most exciting options available in this regard is a rematch with former champion Dominick Cruz, who he lost a close decision to in 2016.

While a Dillashaw vs. Cruz rematch is one that the fans seem interested in, Dillashaw himself doesn’t sound quite as keen.

He feels that Cruz, who has not fought since he surrendered the title to Cody Garbrandt in December of 2016, needs to pick up another win before he fights for the title.

“I’m not ever afraid of a challenge, but hey, Dominick Cruz hasn’t even fought since he lost the belt,” Dillashaw said on FS1 after UFC 227 (via Sherdog). “He made me chase around No. 1 contenders, so get to work, Dominick.”

Post-fight, Dillashaw also responded to a callout from new UFC flyweight champ Henry Cejudo. The bantamweight champ doesn’t seem too interested in this idea either.

“I don’t really think the guy would deserve it,” Dillashaw said of Cejudo’s call for a bantamweight title super fight (via MMAjunkie).

“I mean, Joseph Benavidez just beat him,” Dillashaw said. “Yeah, [Benavidez] lost a split decision to [Sergio] Pettis, but I didn’t agree with that loss. So I think there’s a lot of stuff there, and he’s possibly got a trilogy with [Demetrious Johnson]. I’m open to whatever, though. I’m not stepping away from a challenge, that’s for sure.”

Who do you think should get the next crack at TJ Dillashaw and the UFC bantamweight title?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/6/2018.