UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has a few ideas for his next fight -- and none of them involve TJ Dillashaw.
Cruz (22-1) was in attendance at UFC 200 last weekend in Las Vegas and witnessed Dillashaw pick up a decision win against Raphael Assuncao.
Dillashaw (13-3) has already demanded a title fight against Cruz. The two already fought once this year. In January, Cruz reclaimed the 135-pound championship by narrowly defeating Dillashaw via split decision. Dillashaw believes judges robbed him on the scorecards.
Cruz, who came off a 16-month layoff prior to defeat Dillashaw, doesn't see it that way and says he has absolutely zero interest in a rematch.
"I don't care about that m----------- at all," Cruz told ESPN's Five Rounds podcast. "I beat that dude three years off the couch. He got me at 75 percent. So, the fact he thinks he beat me is nonsense.
"I don't need to prove anything to that guy. I don't really care about him. There are so many other fights that are extremely important."
At the top of Cruz' list is a featherweight fight against Jose Aldo (26-2), who won an interim featherweight championship by out-pointing Frankie Edgar at UFC 200. Aldo is dead set on unifying the 145-pound title against Conor McGregor, but Cruz said if that bout doesn't happen immediately for whatever reason, he'd like to step in and attempt to win a belt in a second weight class.
"I don't care about that m----------- at all. I beat that dude three years off the couch. He got me at 75 percent. So, the fact he thinks he beat me is nonsense." Dominick Cruz
McGregor (19-3) is currently scheduled to fight Nate Diaz (19-10) in a non-title welterweight fight at UFC 202 on Aug. 20.
"Who knows? (McGregor) could get hurt in this fight against Diaz," Cruz said. "They'd need someone to fight for the interim title. I'm willing to fight for the interim (featherweight) title and bring two belts together. Why not? I would do that in a heartbeat. That's a much more fun, much bigger fight than anything near TJ Dillashaw. Nobody cares about that guy."
"Or maybe Aldo gets hurt and I'll fight Conor. Let's go, you know what I mean? I can move up to 145 and be very competitive. I'm extremely hard to hit, I'm quick and I've fought at 45 before. I'm down for it because bringing two belts together to consolidate into one, not only has it not been done, it's tough. It's a challenge. It's a fun, interesting matchup. That's what people want to see right now."
If an Aldo fight doesn't materialize, Cruz said he'd also be interested in a super fight against dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (24-2-1). Johnson has recorded eight consecutive title defenses and is considered by some to be the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Cruz defeated him in a bantamweight title fight back in 2011.
"Him challenging himself to come up and fight me, while I beat him up for five rounds again -- to prove why I'm the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet -- that hypes people up," Cruz said. "They're saying he's the No. pound-for-pound best right now and I beat him for five rounds. So, that makes sense, too."
Whether either fight is a realistic option for Cruz remains to be seen. Aldo wants McGregor. McGregor has said he'll return to featherweight to fight Aldo after Diaz. And Johnson recently withdrew from a title defense against Wilson Reis on July 30 due to injury. He's also stated he wants to break Anderson Silva's record of 10 consecutive UFC title defenses.
Time will tell. But one way or another, Cruz is looking for a big fight -- and he doesn't believe Dillashaw represents that.
"Right now, for me, the guy (Dillashaw) you're talking about right now -- who is that?" said Cruz.