THE EAGERLY-ANTICIPATED MEETING of TJ Dillashaw (12-2) and Dominick Cruz (20-1) has been set.

Dillashaw will defend his UFC bantamweight title against his fellow Californian on Sunday, 17 January, at a venue which has yet to be determined.

A Team Alpha Male stablemate of the likes of Urijah Faber, Dillashaw has held the 135lbs title since he shocked Renan Barao in May of last year.

Dillashaw then went on to successfully defend the belt against Joe Soto and, most recently, in a rematch with Barao. However, a clash with Cruz is expected to be his biggest test to date.

Cruz was the UFC’s first ever bantamweight champion but his career has been hampered by injuries, which have restricted him to just one fight in the last four years.

The 30-year-old was forced to relinquish his belt to Renan Barao due to his subsequent lengthy absences, but he’ll finally get the chance to regain it in January in his first UFC title bout since his October 2011 defeat of current flyweight title-holder Demetrious Johnson.

As long as Cruz doesn’t slip on a banana skin and have to pull out, this one has the potential to be a classic.