Following Callout by Team Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dominick Cruz Gets Challenged by Former UFC Champion

UFC legend and former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz seems to have found himself in the crosshairs of yet another fighter. After a matchup with the 38-year-old was dubbed a dream fight by up-and-coming Umar Nurmagomedov, the veteran has caught the attention of another contender in the promotion. Considering that the 38-year-old is coming off a loss and is most probably at the tail end of his career, one can understand why he is considered a great matchup by his peers. Also, the fact that a win over a legend of Cruz‘s statute serves immensely to one’s resume makes it a much more enticing callout for any of the bantamweights.

But this time around, it’s not a bantamweight that wants to fight the veteran. Rather, it’s another former champ who feels that Cruz could serve as a great welcoming bout for him in the division. No prizes for guessing this one, as it’s the former Flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo who recently expressed his desire to fight ‘The Dominator’.

Deiveson Figueiredo wants to face Dominick Cruz once he moves up to Bantamweight

The Brazilian, while speaking to the MMA Fighting podcast, ‘Trocação Franca’, dived a bit deeper into his well-publicized plan to move up to 135 lbs. ‘Daico’, after his latest loss to Brandon Moreno, had hinted at a move up in weight class. And during this interaction, he expressed the same, along with his strong desire to compete among the top dogs of the division.

“I’ll go up and represent. I won’t be just another one in the division. I’ll fight the best, no doubt about it,” claimed Figueiredo.

And moving up also means scanning through an entirely new landscape for the 35-year-old. While he understands that the division has many “excellent fighters, ” Figueiredo seems to have set his sights on number seven-ranked Dominick Cruz.

“It would be a great first fight at 135. He’s a former champion, I’m a former champion, so it would be a guy with a name and high level to welcome me at 135. That would be great.” Explained the Brazilian. 

Whether Cruz displays interest in the fight is a different question altogether. The American has also been recently called out by Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, with the Russian even deeming it a dream fight to face the former champ. Despite coming off a loss, Cruz clearly has a few options laid out in front of him.

Cruz earlier called out by eleventh-ranked bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov

After multiple claims that no one was willing to face him, the 27-year-old had recently expressed his desire to face Cruz as his next opponent. The idea was also shared by his manager Ali Abdelaziz, as the Russian aims to make his ascent up the bantamweight rankings.

Running high on a four-fight win streak in the promotion, Nurmagomedov has clearly proved himself as a threat to the top contenders. And considering that he has three finishes in his last four, there is no denying that he is indeed amongst the best in the weight class.

These statements coming from Figueiredo and Nurmagomedov have defiantly added a bit more exciting touch to the division for now.

Read More: Huge Injury Update on Former 2X UFC Champion Deiveson Figueiredo After Brandon Moreno Loss

While a loss to Marlon Vera might have stalled his title run, many would believe that Cruz might just have another final push in him. And what better way to start yet another push for the title than with a win against either of these fighters?

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