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Cruz Believes That Dillashaw Could Still Be "An Alpha Male Guy"

“They could be best friends behind the scenes and they’re just pretending to beef right now,” said Cruz.
Photos by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Despite a controversial decision, an epic fifth round and a new heavyweight challenger emerging at UFC 195, Dominick Cruz and TJ Dillashaw's appearance on Counterpunch was one of the key talking points from the event as it was televised during the broadcast from Las Vegas.

Cruz's ability to completely shut down his opponent in the verbal exchanges seems to have given the much-anticipated bantamweight championship bout a massive push, and the former champion didn't let up with his onslaught during Friday's conference call for the January 17 clash.

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Before multiple knee injuries sidelined Cruz he recorded wins over Dillashaw's former Team Alpha Male stable mates Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez. Earlier this year, Dillashaw had a very public split from Faber's famously close-knit team, but according to Cruz, the champion is "still an Alpha Male guy."

Cruz has never pulled any punches when it came to his opinion of the Sacramento based team who he has previously called, "Team Alpha Fail." He added to the jibes he threw at Dillashaw during their sit down for Counterpunch on the call as he described him as a "meathead", a "jock" and "not that bright."

"You can dress up a turd, but it still stinks," said Cruz. "You have TJ Dillashaw, he's still an Alpha Male guy, he's still training with them. He's still one of them. He's still a jock, he's still a meathead, he's still not that bright and he still uses a lot of the fundamentals that those guys use. That's what's built him up in this sport so he's going to have a lot of those things.

"He's a got new techniques with Ludwig. Ludwig has moved him along and fixed some techniques with his kickboxing and stuff, but he's still an Alpha Male guy in my eyes. Just because he's not with them, that's just Faber cutting him off to make money, Faber's always trying to get the big money fights. He's trying to cut it off and make a beef."

Cruz even questioned if the whole Faber and Dillashaw "beef" was real. Cruz revealed that Faber talked to him about his relationship with Dillashaw when he was commentating in Florida last week. According to the returning former champion, 'The California Kid' outlined that he and the bantamweight champion are "not that close."

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While Faber's information goes along with what he has said publicly on the matter, Cruz pointed out that he is reluctant to believe what his former opponent had to say based on his belief that Team Alpha Male are "always trying to make money and build fights up for the future."

Cruz seems to believe that the whole rift in the camp could be a fabrication that could lead to more money for both parties further down the line as he suggested that "they could be best friends behind the scenes."

"Faber came up to me recently when I was out there trying to commentate on the 'Cowboy' (versus) RDA fight and he was talking to me about TJ. How they're not that close and how TJ hasn't been beating him up for the last four years like he TJ has been saying.

"(He said that) all of that was fake and none of that was true and how they're not cool and they're not friends. I don't know though, them guys all have a weird dynamic. I don't know which side they're playing because they're always trying to make money and build fights up for the future.

"They could be best friends behind the scenes and they're just pretending to beef right now or they could be really beefing, but I know Faber is pretty much the type of guy that wants you to do good, but he never wants you to do better than him. Right now, TJ is doing a little bit better than him so I'm sure there's a real jealousy in Faber's eyes fight now with stuff going down the way it is."

When he was asked about where he thinks he ranks in the 135 lbs division, Cruz's answer revealed that he shares a similar gripe with a lot of UFC fighters–the promotion's official rankings.

That being said, Cruz had no problem declaring himself as the "best in the world" and took another shot at his counterpart for January 17's bantamweight championship bout from Boston's TD Garden when he asserted that "TJ is just the best at being number two."

"Of course I believe I'm the best in the world, of course I believe that I'm the man in the division. When it comes down to it, media puts us in an order and it's our job to prove that we are better than the order that you put us in. I believe that I'm the best in the world and I believe that the order is incorrect, I'm number one and TJ is just the best at being number two."