UFC Fight Night Preview: Dillashaw vs. Cruz Fight Preview, Fight Card Lineup
The Ultimate Fighting Championship wants to start the year with some fireworks and its return to Boston in the TD Garden is an epitome of that. T.J. Dillashaw will be headlining UFC Fight Night, where he is to defend his bantamweight title against ex-champ Dominick Cruz, while the co-main event features Anthony Pettis versus former Bellator MMA champion Eddie Alvarez.
- Main Event: T.J. Dillashaw (12-2) vs Dominick Cruz (20-1)
- On the line: UFC Bantamweight Championship
This fight should be an interesting one to see because the two fighters have very different styles. Dillashaw is mostly known for his striking and footwork, while Cruz achieves more success as a wrestler. Dillashaw may be somewhat similar to Cruz in some aspects, but the latter is just too awkward and unconventional to be compared to any fighter out there. While Dillashaw is the more willing fighter when it comes to exchanging toe-to-toe, Cruz has a more cautious approach, most of the time focusing on defense rather than offense. He'll pick Dillashaw apart by being patient all throughout this fight and it might very well work for him considering that his opponent is eager to make it an entertaining night by constantly putting offensive pressure.
Aside from the main event, there will be a preliminary card to be shown on UFC Fight Pass, and then will be followed by another preliminary card composed of four fights to be covered by FOX Sports. After that, the main event starts with four fights, starting with a lightweight matchup between Francisco Trinaldo and Ross Pearson, to be followed by the only heavyweight fight in the card featuring Travis Browne against Matt Mitrione. Before the Dillashaw – Cruz fight, the co-main event will pit two former champions in Pettis and Alvarez.
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Dubbed as Fight Night 81, the event is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 17, and will be held at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
