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
- 2014/07/20 -- Miguel Cotto vs. Pacquiao, Alvarez or Mayweather: Who will you pay to see?
Right now there are three PPV attractions in boxing and they are Manny Pacquiao, Saul “Canelo’ Alvarez and Floyd... - 2014/07/19 -- One FC to Introduce $50K ‘One Warrior Bonus’ to Standout Performers
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- One FC “War of Dragons” is set for the NTU Sports Arena Friday and on Wednesday the organizati... - 2014/07/19 -- Maidana vs. Mayweather 2: Upset in the making?
(Photo credit: Idris Irba) By MM: With the rematch set, and the fight tour underway, most fight fans feel that F... - 2014/07/20 -- King Of The Cage “Rumble”: Quick Results and Play-By-Play
We are live inside the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico for King of the Cage “Rumble”. Stay tuned t... - 2014/07/20 -- Cathal Pendred: A Long Time Coming
He’s a good fighter and a tough fighter, but he’s not as good as me and he’s not as tough as me. I know that I’... - 2014/07/20 -- King Of The Cage “Throwdown” Features Several Las Cruces Gyms And Fighters
Tonight is the night, later on this evening, April 19th, King of the Cage “Throwdown” will be live inside the La... - 2014/07/19 -- White Buffalo zooms in on KZN
Former boxers Hardy Mileham and Francois Botha intend to revive the sport in KwaZulu-Natal. The two have formed ... - 2014/07/20 -- UFC 176’s Green-Trujillo, ‘Formiga’-Makovsky Bouts Moved to Aug. 16 Maine Card
Less than an hour after the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced the cancelation of UFC 176, two of the eve... - 2014/07/20 -- Amir Khan will fight Floyd Mayweather but Manny Pacquiao is on hit-list next
Amir Khan insists the widely-touted fight between him and Floyd Mayweather Jnr will happen – though his next sho... - 2014/07/19 -- TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero signs with Titan, debuts on Aug. 22 card
A former Ultimate Fighter champion has found a home in the Titan Fighting Championships.
Efrain Escudero, the T... - 2014/07/04 -- “Battle of the Badges”
Hammond, IN. It seems that the partnership between, martial arts instructor and originator of Total Co...