Cruz used his patented stick-and-move elusiveness to frustrate the flat-footed Faber in the co-main event of UFC 199 on Saturday night, moving his way to a unanimous decision win at the Forum.

Cruz regained the bantamweight belt that he never lost in the cage. He took a split decision win over T.J. Dillashaw in a quality, back-and-forth bout which saw Cruz erase any doubt over how he would look after just 61 seconds worth of fighting since October 2011.

Cruz used his trademark footwork to great effect early on, avoiding any damage from Mizugaki as he threw punches that couldn't find a home. Then, Cruz snagged a takedown and from there, he laid in with heavy shots. One of them hurt Mizugaki, then another, and another, and another.

For Dominick Cruz, this was a tremendous showing of how a fighter can adapt due to having extremely well-rounded skills. He wasn't getting lit up on the feet or anything, but the fight was closer than he liked in that department so he switched things up and utilized his offensive grappling game. His size advantage played a huge part in helping him control Johnson.

On top of dominating the stand-up, Cruz was able to land knee tap takedowns with regularity to put the fight on the ground where he could land some nice ground and pound.