Dominick Cruz regained the UFC bantamweight title Sunday night, outpointing T.J. Dillashaw by split decision at the TD Garden.
Cruz (21-1) received winning scores of 48-47 and 49-46, and the other judge scored the five-round bout 49-46 for Dillashaw (13-3).
Forced to relinquish the title because of a series of knee injuries, Cruz fought for the first time since 2014 and the second time since 2011. Dillashaw was making his third title defence.
"There's no such thing as rust," said Cruz.
"Rust is only something you get when you don't train hard. I've seen fighters do what T.J. does, but he's faster."
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Cruz took down Dillashaw, in each of the first four rounds and used his footwork to control the distance for most of the fight.
"I'm very disappointed," Dillashaw said.
"I felt like I was the aggressor and landed the bigger shots. I'm not a fan of his antics, but congratulations to him."
In the co-main event, Eddie Alvarez won a three-round split decision against former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
Also on the main card, heavyweight Travis Browne stopped Matt Mitrione in the third round when Mitrione developed a large haematoma over his right eye.
