5 fights that could be next for Dominick Cruz

#4. Dominick Cruz vs. Ricky Simón

Ricky Simón has a record of 20-3

With Dominick Cruz suffering a loss and likely approaching the end of his career, perhaps the UFC will look to build a new star off his name. Ricky Simón is an up-and-coming contender and is currently sitting at no. 11 in the rankings due to his latest five-fight win streak. The match-up would be an intriguing one.

Simón has shown his potential throughout his UFC career and now appears to be putting it all together at 29-years-old. The most high-profile bout of his career thus far came in an upset loss to a 41-year-old Uriah Faber. If Simón could prove he’s improved against one of Faber’s most famous rivals, that would be fascinating.

Cruz had the better of Faber during his career and beat him twice with UFC gold on the line. If Simón were to defeat him, he would set himself up for some big fights at the top of the division. For Cruz, a win would prove that he is still performing at the level of a top 5 fighter.

---

#3. Dominick Cruz vs. Song Yadong

Song Yadong has a record of 19-5-1 (1 NC)

Another young bantamweight currently climbing the ranks is Song Yadong. The 24-year-old Chinese fighter is on a three-fight winning streak, has defeated Marlon Vera in the past and is currently ranked no. 10 at bantamweight. This has led to him getting a big-time fight next time out against Cory Sandhagen.

The Sandhagen fight will likely be the toughest test Yadong has faced to date and he is currently the underdog heading into that bout. Given his young age, if he does suffer a defeat, he will likely not fall too far in the rankings. In that event, it would make a lot of sense for him to be Dominick Cruz's next opponent.

Yadong is younger and more marketable than Dvalishvili and Simón, so you can imagine that the UFC would be more keen to give him a big name opponent like Cruz. There is also the fun backstory of Yadong being a student of Urijah Faber at Team Alpha Male.