It’s crowded at the top of the UFC bantamweight division.<\/p>\n
Dominick Cruz, Raphael Assuncao, and Marlon Moraes<\/a> all have legitimate claim to the next crack at UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, and new UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo also has his crosshairs locked on the bantamweight king.<\/a><\/p>\n Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show<\/a> this week, the former champion Dominick Cruz explained why he \u2014 and not the other men listed above \u2014 deserves the next bantamweight title shot.<\/p>\n \u201cI know I deserve that title shot,\u201d Cruz said (transcript via Sherdog.com<\/a>). \u201cBecause I defended that title more times than anyone in the history of the division. The problem is, I beat him already. You can\u2019t be the best unless you beat the guy that beat you. It\u2019s just common sense. Everybody in the world knows that, including him.\u201d<\/p>\n While this is a strong argument from Cruz, his detractors remind that he was not fought since a December, 2016 loss to former champion Cody Garbrandt. Furthermore, Moraes and Assuncao both have strong arguments for the next shot.<\/p>\n Marlon Moraes, for example, who is the former World Series of Fighting bantamweight champion, is currently on an impressive three-fight streak. This streak is composed of defeats of John Dodson, Aljamain Sterling, and most recently, a knockout of Jimmie Rivera. He made his case for a title shot on Twitter.<\/p>\n My resume: — Marlon Moraes (@MMARLONMORAES) August 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
1)John Dodson top 5 at the time
2) aljamain sterling – 1:07 seconds ESPN SC highlight
3)jimmy rivera :33 seconds also on ESPN sports center
You tell me who deserves this @danawhite<\/a> @seanshelby<\/a><\/p>\n