In UFC's busy 135-pound division, Dominick Cruz has no shortage of suitors – but who should he fight?

We still don’t know the timeline for Dominick Cruz’s return to the octagon, but we know this: He probably won’t lack suitors for it.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why. While cracking the Cruz (22-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) puzzle is not an easy task, as proven by the fact only two opponents have been able to do it, facing an ex-champion is certainly a solid way to make your name stand out in the cluttered scene that’s become the top of the UFC’s 135-pound division.

Aiming for a title shot often sounds too ambitious. Aiming for the dominant former champion, who still occupies No. 3 fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings? That sounds more reasonable.

Add to it that Cody Garbrant was able to make him look almost mortal when we last saw Cruz and, voilá, golden call-out material.

But we can also see why the long-dominant Cruz, coming off an arm injury and a title-costing loss to Garbrandt (who’s now set to rematch T.J. Dillashaw in his own attempt to re-claim the belt), would want to put careful consideration into his next steps. Or even if he still plans to have that next step to be a title-worthy one.

But, hey, it doesn’t hurt to have options. So, in the spirit of breaking down the bantamweight division’s busy scenario, let’s unpack some of the offers the ex-champ has received.

Raphael Assuncao

Raphael Assuncao (26-5 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has been a somewhat quiet presence atop the 135-pound division, and he’s kind of sick of it.

Ranked No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, Assuncao’s last loss was in July 2016, to a man whom Assuncao had beaten once before in current champ Dillashaw. He’s since racked up three straight wins over Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Moraes and Matthew Lopez.

Not one for brash call-outs or, as Assuncao said himself, “fancy stuff,” he has recently decided to get a little more vocal in his campaign for a title. Assuncao has got a UFC 226 booking now, against Rob Font, but before that he was asking for a title eliminator against Cruz.

This wasn’t news. Assuncao had already put in his request for Cruz early in 2017 – being quickly shot down by the ex-champ. Back then, Cruz explained, his plan was to return into a title shot.

A lot has happened in the division since. But, at least until recently, Assuncao still had Cruz in mind. In a chat with MMAFighting, he accused the “inconsistent” Cruz of running from a meeting with him.

OK, not the friendliest of invites. But hey, the man is kind of frustrated.

Aljamain Sterling

Unlike Assuncao, Aljamain Sterling hasn’t really ever had problems with speaking up. Whether it’s addressing “the haters,” – who, in his defense, do seem to be quite numerous and weirdly hostile on Twitter – the referees or possible targets, Sterling doesn’t hold back.

Sterling (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has recently beaten Brett Johns, bouncing back from a rough knockout loss to former WSOF kingpin Marlon Moraes, and followed that up with his own invitation to welcome Cruz back.

And it was just the right mix of biting and respectful, if you ask us.

“I don’t think he wants to fight anybody unless it’s for the belt, but I think this is a fight where he thinks it might not be a dangerous fight for him in terms of being knocked out or something like that,” Sterling said. “So I think he’d be more willing to oblige to a matchup like this.

“And I think if there’s a big name I can take out, why not shoot for the stars and see what we can get? I think everyone else is booked up, and I beat him, I’m right here for the title shot.”

Sterling sent out a follow-up Tweet on a similar tone afterwards, and was even kind enough to let Cruz’s seniority determine setting. Polite way to go about it, but so far … no bite.

Jimmie Rivera

Jimmie Rivera had his sights on Cruz for a while. Then one day, not too long after telling Cruz to “defend your spot or get out of the way” following a win over Thomas Almeida, Rivera was “super shocked” in finding out that Cruz actually obliged.

“The Dominator,” however, suffered a broken arm and had to withdraw from their UFC 219 meeting. Rivera (20-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) got a replacement opponent in John Lineker who, in turn, also had to withdraw after a serious tooth infection.

Rivera is now set to meet Moraes in a high-stakes UFC Fight Night 131 match. Before that, though, he still had his sights on Cruz. He’s since offered his somewhat measured theories that Cruz’s style makes him “accident-prone” and then not-so-measured theories that both Cruz and Caraway are actually “p*****.”

At least for now, though, Cruz doesn’t seem to be on Rivera’s mind. Should he beat Moraes and earn his 21st win in a row, “El Terror” has made it clear that his target will be the guy carrying the bantamweight crown.

That’s just to name a few. Just recently, Brian Kelleher said he’d like a stab at Cruz after fighting Lineker. Back in the day, when both were still champions in their divisions, it was Moraes who eyed a meeting with “The Dominator.”

Considering Cruz’s dominance atop the bantamweight division for so many years, a few of those sidelined with a string of unfortunate injuries, we’d imagine he’s gotten used to getting call-outs. Which probably explains why he rarely addresses them.

That’s fine, though. We’ve seen enough of Cruz’s verbal beatdowns to appreciate the rare moments in which he does choose to answer.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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