Dominick Cruz picked from three viable options for UFC champion Ilia Topuria’s first title defense at lightweight.
Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) is closing in on his next fight, and it appears it will come against either Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), Paddy Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) or Justin Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who all were in attendance for his title-winning knockout over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June.
However, it was Pimblett who entered the octagon and faced off with Topuria, and Cruz would like to see the champion capitalize on that hype.
“This thing’s about paychecks at a time. We’re prize fighters,” Cruz said on the “Anik & Florian Podcast.” “We’re not anything else. We want to say we’re all these other things. We are prize fighters. You put a prize out there, we take the prize, you win it, or you lose it. Who’s the biggest prize? We all know the answer to this between those three.
“So, if you’re smart, you take that fight like that guy’s the bag. Now, not to say the other guys aren’t good, but the problem is Paddy, it’s just that he promotes, he talks, he’s got a very big package. It just makes sense to make the most money with that fight. But now with this new deal coming forward, too, does that change the layout of if you care who you fight. Now are you just looking for the better, easier matchup?”
How Pimblett stacks up with Tsarukyan and Gaethje
Cruz, the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, addressed the notion that Pimblett is a layup fight for Topuria.
“I think they’re looking at the style matchup,” Cruz said. “If you’re smart, you’re not saying Paddy is a layup, but you’re saying stylistically is that a layup comparatively speaking to Arman Tsarukyan? That’s the question. Not Paddy sucks compared to Arman.”
Cruz gives Pimblett a better chance of beating Topuria than Gaethje.
“Right now, I like Paddy,” Cruz said. “He’s not what he was when he came in here. He has improved. I think people forget, like, fight by fight, you really do improve if you get the confidence. And he’s gotten the confidence. It’s not like he’s gotten that L that kind of set him back a little. Like, his confidence has grown. So he stays in the gym, he gets back to training, and when that confidence grows, you’re a hard guy to beat. And he’s got that right now. Gaethje’s the opposite. Gaethje’s found his humanity.”
