Monday was a dark day in the UFC bantamweight division. In the span of 30 minutes, championship contenders Dominick Cruz and Raphael Assuncao both announced on social media that they had suffered significant injuries, throwing the title picture into disarray heading into 2015.
After making a triumphant return after nearly three years on the sidelines at UFC 178 in September, Cruz is out indefinitely after tearing the ACL in his right knee. The former bantamweight champion had a pair of ligament replacement surgeries on his left knee prior to a groin injury scuttling his scheduled return at UFC 169 last February. He finally stepped into the Octagon in September, picking up a first-round knockout win over veteran Takeya Mizugaki that put him in position to challenge for the title in 2015, but those plans have been dashed as “The Dominator” is now facing another extended layoff.
Shortly after the news of Cruz’s latest setback broke, Assuncao followed up with another bombshell that rocked the 135-pound ranks:
I am devastated 2 inform that my title shot hopes will be even further delayed due 2 broken ankle suffered in training
I am sorry once again
— Raphael Assuncao (@RaphaAssuncao) December 22, 2014
The 32-year-old Brazilian has won seven straight since moving down to bantamweight, including earning a controversial split decision victory over champion T.J. Dillashaw in October 2013. While Cruz was expected to be the next to challenge for the title, his injury seemed to open the door for Assuncao move up the ladder and get his overdue shot at the belt, but it only took 20 minutes for that door to slam closed.
With the top two contenders removed from title consideration, there are now a number of possibilities the UFC could explore when it comes to figuring out whom Dillashaw should fight next.
Here are five options.
Option 1: Renan Barao
“Thanks Captain Obvious!”
Just because it is the simplest answer doesn’t mean it should be excluded from this list. After losing the bantamweight strap to Dillashaw at UFC 173 in May, Barao was supposed to get his rematch a couple months later at UFC 177, but he fainted while cutting weight, got pulled from the bout and shuffled back into the deck.
This past weekend, the Brazilian standout earned a third-round submission victory over Canadian Mitch Gagnon to get back into the win column and he very well could be the main beneficiary of Monday’s dual injury announcements. Barao was unbeaten for nearly a decade prior to his loss to Dillashaw and now that Cruz and Assuncao are sidelined, having the current and former champion face off for a second time might be the easiest, most logical fight for the UFC to make.
Option 2: Urijah Faber
If a fight with Barao is the easy bout to make, this one might be the most challenging to put together.
Faber helped Dillashaw get his start in the sport and the bantamweight champion has been a member of Team Alpha Male from his first day as a mixed martial artist. Faber has been a mentor to Dillashaw (and everyone on the team) inside and outside of the cage, and while plenty of people like to think there is always a dollar amount out there that would make you agree to face off against your mentor, that isn’t the case with the members of the Sacramento-based fight camp.
It would be one hell of a storyline if it did come together – student vs. teacher, friend vs. friend – but as of right now, I don’t see it happening.
Option 3: John Dodson
Currently rehabbing a knee injury and readying to make his return in 2015, Dodson is already one of the top contenders in the flyweight division, but he also one of only two people to defeat Dillashaw.
“The Magican” pulled off that trick when the two fought in the bantamweight finale on Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. He put the current divisional kingpin on roller skates with a crushing left hand just before the two-minute mark of the opening round that prompted referee Herb Dean to stop the fight before Dodson even had time to follow up.
When Dillashaw ascended to the top of the division, Dodson took to social media reminding him (and everyone else) of his prior accomplishment. The champion would love to avenge this loss and the UFC just might be inclined to call the Team Jackson-Winkeljohn fighter up from flyweight in order to make it happen.
Option 4: Frankie Edgar
“The Answer” has won three straight since losing in his bid to claim the featherweight championship, most recently putting on a clinic against Cub Swanson at the end of November. Despite his recent run of success, Edgar is kind of in limbo at the moment, so the possibility of him moving down to challenge Dillashaw might not be as far-fetched as it seems.
First and foremost, Edgar could make the 135-pound limit without much stress; he didn’t cut to fight at lightweight and his own coaches have said bantamweight is a possibility in the past, so the weight cut is not an issue.
Secondly, the former lightweight champion is a bigger name than anyone else the UFC could position opposite Dillashaw at this point, except for maybe Faber. While Dillashaw has star potential, he’s not there yet and having a recognizable dance partner could help expedite the process.
On top of that, it would be a terrific fight from a stylistic point of view and seeing if Edgar could become the third man to win UFC gold in two different weight classes – and the first to fight for a title in three divisions – would make for a compelling pay-per-view main event.
Option 5: Jose Aldo
Note: in this scenario, Dillashaw would move up to ’45 to face Aldo.
If Conor McGregor beats Dennis Siver in January as expected, this one has no chance of happening, but if you gave Dillashaw his choice of opponents, he’d pick the featherweight champion.
Aldo is running out of fresh challengers in the 145-pound ranks and has already defeated two members of Team Alpha Male, so putting together a “Champion vs. Champion” bout that also affords Dillashaw an opportunity to get revenge for his teammates would make for a compelling storyline.
On top of that, it would be all kinds of fun to watch as Dillashaw is a more complete striker than Chad Mendes and brings more speed to the table than Faber. Plus, the bantamweight champ isn’t one to let someone else lead the dance, so he’d be in Aldo’s face, pressing the action from the outset. Whether or not that is a good strategy is neither here nor there as it would make for an amazing fight.
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