Former UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz has been clear about the circumstances in which he expects to return following his recent belt-costing loss to Cody Garbrandt: He wants a title fight.

According to Cruz’s longtime coach and Alliance MMA leader Eric Del Fierro, the ex-champ’s plans remain unchanged – “Whomever’s got the belt, that’s who (Cruz) wants next.” But, as it stands, the former bantamweight titleholder is focused on getting his body back on track in light of a tricky condition.

“Dominick is good,” said Del Fierro, who joined MMAjunkie Radio ahead of Saturday’s CFFC 64 event, for which he’s heading up matchmaking and operations for the San Diego show. “You guys have seen him around – he stays positive, he does his thing. Right now, he’s just taking care of his body. He’s training – not 100 percent, full time – but he’s here training and just kind of letting his body heal.

“With that plantar fasciitis, that seems to be the one of the most complicated injuries he’s ever had, and I say that because anybody that’s had that injury, or that condition, it just doesn’t go away. And the only thing that really helps it is rest.”

The ex-champ’s run-ins with injury are well-known, with his first UFC reign ending not due to loss, but to recurrent knee issues and a groin tear. On a recent edition of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Cruz (22-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) said the fasciitis that acted up when he beat T.J. Dillashaw (14-3 MMA, 10-3 UFC) to recover the belt at UFC Fight Night 81 worsened ahead of the UFC 207 title scrap that had him losing to current champ Garbrandt (11-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC).

In any case, the ex-champ still has some time to recover considering the TBD nature of the belt’s future. While it is known that Garbrandt’s first title defense will be against fellow “Ultimate Fighter 25” coach and former Team Alpha Male stablemate Dillashaw, time and place are still undetermined. The upcoming season of “TUF” premieres on FS1 on April 19.

As someone who’s helped Cruz, currently ranked No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, prepare for both No. 1 Garbrandt and No. 3 Dillashaw, Del Fierro has a timid hunch as to who may be next for his fighter.

“I think Cody’s slick,” Del Fierro said. “He’s slick, and I think what he showed is a lot of composure. I think he’s got a lot more that he hasn’t shown. Rematches are always difficult, and teammates fighting teammates is a whole different level of mental battle, so the question is who can put it aside more than the other and I would kind of give that edge to Cody – but I don’t know.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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