Dominick Cruz told Telegraph Sport this week that he will not rest easy until he is regarded as "the No 1 pound for pound fighter in the world". Cruz is currently ranked in the top 10, 9 by Sherdog, 7 by Telegraph Sport, but he insisted in an exclusive interview with your correspondent that he "wants to go on a run of victories" which will put him at the head of the list.
"I'd like to be up there with GSP, Anderson Silva and those guys, thought of as the dominant guy in the division, but also as one of the most valuable pound for pound fighters in the world. But that means defending the belt several times, and wiping out my rivals," said Cruz.
Cruz faces Demetrius Johnson in a second defence of the UFC bantamweight title (having defended the title twice in the WEC before it merged with the UFC) in Washington DC this weekend. The 135lb fighter with dancing feet and an elusive, off-balance style believes Johnson may struggle given the reach advantage the champion enjoys. But Cruz is taking nothing for granted.
"I've analysed him. He has a very good striking base, and is is very well-rounded. He moves well, and is light on his feet<" Cruz told Telegraph Sport. "He has a very good defence, and he's hard to get hold of, hard to hit. But he's also 5ft 2ins tall, which is favourable to me. He has a 6inch reach advantage to deal with. I know how to wrestle well."
"He's won a lot of his fights by being a better athlete than a lot of his opponents. He won't have that advantage with me. I'm going to fight a smart fight. I'll use my skill set to give him a hard time. Everyone has holes in their game. The key is to make your opponent fight your fight, and I'm good at doing that."
Paul Sass, the only British fighter on the card and a submission expert, meets American Michael Johnson in a lightweight bout. Sass, unbeaten in 11 MMA fights, has not fought in the UFC since the last event held in London, 11 months ago.
Anthony Johnson, who many believe could be a contender for the welterweight belt seemingly etched with the name GSP on it, faces Charlie Brenemman in an intriguing 170lb contest.
There are interviews with Cruz and Rampage Jackson in this week's ESPN UFC Podcast.
Listen here to this week's ESPN UFC Podcast
RAMPAGE TELLS TELEGRAPH BOXING SWITCH IS POSSIBLE, BUT BOXING COACH SAYS STICK TO MMA
"I hate fighting people who are scared," Rampage Jackson told me less than an hour after losing to Jon Jones for the UFC light-heavyweight title in Denver last weekend. "When you fight somebody who is scared you never know what they're going to do. They turn and run.
"That's why I'm gonna go to boxing. I'm gonna try boxing because they've got to stand with you. If I get knocked out I don't care because at least it's a fight.
"I've tried a lot of boxing, I'm falling in love with boxing and I know I can put butts on seats over there." However, Mark Kinney, Jackson's boxing coach, told Telegraph Sport that the UFC light-heavyweight should finish his career in mixed martial arts before making the switch.
Jackson is likely to fight on the UFC event in Japan in February next year.
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