UFC on Versus 6: How Many Legitimate Contenders Does Dominick Cruz Have?

Since the WEC joined forces with the UFC, Dominick Cruz has unarguably been the heart of the bantamweight division.

Cruz, began his mixed martial arts career in January of 2005 where he defeated Eddie Castro at an event in Phoenix, Ariz.

He then went on to win eight straight fights before fighting Urijah Faber in his WEC debut at WEC 26.

At just 1:38 in the very first round, Faber connected on a guillotine choke that gave Cruz the first loss of his MMA career.

Cruz would then go on to win a career-high nine straight fights on way to being declared the WEC bantamweight champion.

Along the way, Cruz defeated notable opponents such as Joseph Benavidez, Brian Bowles and Scott Jorgensen.

In his first career UFC bout, Cruz looked to defend his bantamweight championship against the only man who's ever beat him in Urijah Faber.

The two squared off at UFC 132 in what was one of the most anticipated fights of the year. Cruz took Faber the distance defeating him via unanimous decision.

Cruz, who's weeded out nearly every opponent in the bantamweight division continues to prove he is nearly unbeaten in his respected weight class.

Many fans begin to question: How many legitimate contenders does Cruz have in the bantamweight division?

While Cruz defeated Faber at UFC 132, many fans felt Faber was given the shaft by the judge's scorecards.

Despite Faber losing a close decision, he did give Cruz the only loss of his career evening the rivalry at 1-1. A grudge match is needed as Faber remains a legitimate threat to Cruz's title.

Benavidez, Bowles and Jorgensen all rank near the top of the bantamweight, but Cruz has defeated all three of them.

The only legitimate bantamweight fighter Cruz has yet to fight is up-and-coming star, Demetrious Johnson.

Johnson is coming off the biggest victory of his career in which he defeated Miguel Torres at UFC 130.

Renan Barao is also a threat to Cruz's title as he's posted a career record of 26-1-1.

Barao lost his first career mixed martial arts bout in April of 2005 and hasn't lost since.

Despite a No Contest result in December of 2007, Barao has wiped out opponent after opponent while demonstrating his well-rounded skills in the submission, knockout, and decision.

Of his 26 careers victories, 12 have come by way of submission, 8 by decision, and 6 by knockout.

In his first UFC bout, Barao took Cole Escavedo to a Unanimous Decision victory at UFC 130.

And, while many fighters will continue to emerge in the 135-pound weight class, Cruz only has three legitimate contenders at this point in time.

Dominick Cruz's only legitimate contenders consist of Urijah Faber, Demetrious Johnson, and Renan Barao.