Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to return to the cage after nearly three years on the shelf.
ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto on Tuesday reported that Cruz will square off against surging Japanese contender Takeya Mizugaki as part of UFC 178, likely on the pay-per-view portion of the card. Headlined by a light heavyweight title rematch between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson, the Sept. 27 event will take place in Las Vegas, though a venue has yet to be announced.
Cruz, 28, has not competed since his October 2011 title defense against Demetrious Johnson. “The Dominator” has seen multiple returns scheduled and then scratched due to a series of injuries, including an ACL tear which required a pair of surgeries. In January, Cruz vacated his title when he was forced to withdraw from a unification bout with then-interim champ Renan Barao slated for UFC 169. The Alliance MMA product has tasted defeat just once in 20 professional bouts, a 2007 loss to Urijah Faber which Cruz avenged in 2011.
Mizugaki will enter the bout on five-fight winning streak which most recently saw him outpoint Francisco Rivera at UFC 173. Since transferring to the UFC from World Extreme Cagefighting in 2011, the 30-year-old Kanagawa native has compiled a 7-2 record, including victories over Bryan Caraway and Nam Phan.
http://www.sherdog.com
Related Fight Posts
- 2014/07/19 -- Pros react to Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller, Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham, more
The last time the UFC traveled to Atlantic City, Gray Maynard and Clay Guida didn't exactly give the New Jersey ... - 2014/07/19 -- UFC Fight Night Albuquerque Tingley Coliseum Pre-Sale Tickets are Available, Here’s the Code!
UFC Fight Night Albuquerque Tickets are now on Pre-Sale, Get them before they are available to the public April ... - 2014/07/19 -- Half-Year Awards: The Submissions
The Highly Unofficial Half-Year awards season continues with the best submissions of 2014 thus far...
From the ... - 2014/07/20 -- Ricky Burns set for boxing return away from Scotland, says promoter Eddie Hearn
Ricky Burns is likely to fight away from Scotland when he returns to the ring following Friday night's humbling ... - 2014/07/19 -- The Downes Side: UFN Atlantic City Predictions
That’s right boys and girls, it’s time for another edition of the Downes Side! I know last week may have been di... - 2014/07/20 -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. apologizes to Ronda Rousey and congratulates her on ESPY win
As he took home the ESPY for 2014's Best Fighter, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was finally introduced to a nemesis he di... - 2014/07/19 -- Mayweather v Maidana temperature rising
I found it interesting to watch the war of words and antics between former welterweight champion Marcos Maidana ... - 2014/07/19 -- Ronda Rousey belongs ‘in the top three’ in pound-for-pound rankings
Few, if any, would argue Ronda Rousey isn't the top female fighter on the planet. While Cyborg Justino might tak... - 2014/07/19 -- Patrick Cote vs. Stephen Thompson slated for UFC 178
Rising welterweights will battle at the UFC 178 card in Las Vegas, as the promotion announced that former UFC ti... - 2014/07/19 -- Bobby Green Replaces Michael Johnson, Faces Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox 12
Lightweight bouts between Bobby Green and Abel Trujillo, as well as Michael Johnson and Josh Thomson are no more... - 2014/07/20 -- Gleison Tibau wants to break Tito Ortiz’s UFC record by 2015
Gleison Tibau will become the lightweight with the most UFC fights Wednesday night, but that’s not the only reco...