Assuncao eyes title eliminator fight with Cruz: ‘He already ran from the fight’

After making his UFC debut back in 2011, Raphael Assuncao has proved he is one of the UFC’s best at 135 pounds. Now on a impressive three-fight winning streak, Assuncao wants his shot against Dominick Cruz in a title eliminator fight this June.

It’s hard to believe Assuncao has never fought for the 135-pound title in his UFC career. The Brazilian’s UFC record sits at 10-2, only suffering losses to Erik Koch in his debut, and to T.J. Dillashaw in their rematch, of which Assuncao took the win in their first outing.

Since his lost to Dillashaw at UFC 200 in July 2016, Assuncao has won three straight fights, including split decision victories over Aljamain Sterling and Marlon Moraes, and a third-round knockout win against Matthew Lopez last November. He spoke to MMA Fighting about why he is eyeing a fight with Cruz.

”I’ve already called him out in many interviews, but we don’t know what’s next for me yet. The fight to make is me against Cruz. He’s the No. 2 in the ranking and I’m the No. 3. That’s the right fight to make. Marlon (Moraes) and Jimmie (Rivera) are right below me and they are fighting next, so this is the fight to make — but he already ran from the fight, said he’s out indefinitely.”

Cruz hasn’t fought since losing his bantamweight belt to Cody Garbrandt back at UFC 207 in December 2016. He was supposed to return to the octagon after a year layoff against Jimmie Rivera at UFC 219, but “The Dominator” was forced to withdraw from the fight after breaking his arm.

”I think he’s trying some kind of strategy, like waiting for someone to get injured and get a title fight on short notice. I think that’s what he wants. But we have to make this fight to see who’s the next contender.

“Dominick knows that this is the perfect fight to make, but I want to fight. We’ll try to make it happen and stay active and prepared to fight when the opportunity comes. The more I fight, they are actually helping me [laughs]. It’s feeding me with experience, and when my time comes they can bring anyone.”