UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has been making his rounds with the media to promote his trilogy fight with Urijah Faber in the co-main event of UFC 199.

While the majority of the media appearances have lead to heated verbal exchanges with Faber, Cruz was asked about Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor’s welterweight rematch at UFC 200.

Cruz, a Fox Sports analyst, offered an interesting take during UFC 199 media day:

“Conor’s going up to fight Diaz at 170[lbs] again, leaving the featherweight belt for Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar to fight for. Okay, what if Conor McGregor goes back down and fights Frankie Edgar at 145lbs?

“Which is an extremely terrible style match-up and a hard fight — and then he loses?”

“Now he’s lost all his push, whereas if he stays at 170, fights Diaz and he happens to lose again, he still has it because he’s like; ‘Well, but it was it 170′.

“So there’s still excuses to make for it, to say why he’s the best.

“If he loses to Frankie Edgar at 145, you pretty much kill the excuses. It doesn’t necessarily take away legitimacy but it buys time.”

The UFC has also booked Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar for an interim title fight at UFC 200. Leading up to the fight, UFC President Dana White stated that McGregor will fight the winner of that fight, in his next fight regardless of the outcome of his rematch with Nate Diaz.