Former UFC champion who beat Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw says next fight will be his last
Dominick Cruz has admitted his next fight at UFC Seattle will be his last. Cruz is considered one of the best 135-pound fighters of all time, having defeated Demetrious Johnson, TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber during his illustrious 13-year spell with the UFC. Cruz has mixed it with the very best during his UFC careerGetty Images - Getty He is also a former UFC champion but is now set to retire on his 20th anniversary as a fighter, having competed in professional MMA since 2005. His bout with fellow veteran Rob Font at UFC Seattle on February 23 will be his 11th in Dana White’s promotion. But the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion cast no doubt when pressed by UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier that it will also be his last. “For me, it is,” Cruz, 39, said on ESPN MMA. “Not because of my mentality, not because of my skillset. “Yeah, I lost my last fight, but I was in that fight every minute of the fight. When I got finished, I was going for the kill, which got me hurt. “It wasn’t one of those situations where I was bowing out of the fight. “It was: I was in the fight trying to kill the guy and I hurt myself, and that led to the finish eventually.” Cruz hasn’t fought in the UFC since August 2022, when he suffered a devastating knockout loss to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. The California native went into the bout on a two-fight win streak, which followed consecutive title fight defeats to Cody Garbrandt and eventually Henry Cejudo, who initially retired after knocking Cruz out. Cejudo has since returned to the UFC and is hoping to avenge his last two defeats in his UFC Seattle main event against Song Yadong. Vera KO’d Dominick Cruz at UFC San Diego in August 2022Getty Cruz had already reached the summit of the UFC’s bantamweight division prior to his first-ever UFC defeats. Many MMA fans also argue that he could be one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, had he not been struck by injuries on so many occasions. “So, I look at that fight [vs Vera]. I go: ‘OK, don’t be too harsh on yourself.,” Cruz added. “This is part of the game. You get hit. You get caught. These things happen. “But I was in the fight. I wasn’t slower. I wasn’t looking behind a step. I wasn’t not choosing the good techniques. “Those are all things I add to my mindset before moving into this last nine months as well. “The skills are still there. It’s just a matter of all the injuries and stuff. Can I keep them together to get through the camp? Cruz admitted that his body has played a big part in his decision to stop fightingGetty “The camp is the hard part. We all know that. It’s not really the fight.” “If I had to fight in one week, I would get there healthy. But my body might not be as ready as it needs to be. “But I got a six week camp to prepare myself and I’ve done a nine month chunk of time to make sure my body can handle that.” After emerging as a champion under the WEC banner, Cruz first won bantamweight gold on his UFC debut from Faber in 2011. He proceeded to defend the belt against Johnson before a series of injuries, including a torn ACL and groin, kept him out of action for three years. Cruz returned in 2014, defeating Takeya Mizugaki in the first-round at UFC 178, before claiming the bantamweight title again two years later against Dillashaw after tearing the ACL in his other knee. The 39-year-old defended the 135lb strap against Faber again in what would be his last victory in a UFC title fight as he went on to lose against Garbrandt and Cejudo, four years later, following more injuries. Cruz’s opponent Font, 37, has been in the UFC for a similar period of time. He made his debut in 2014 and has also fought some of the UFC’s biggest stars, including Jose Aldo and Deiveson Figueiredo. Font was victorious in his last bout against Kyler Phillips in October, winning via unanimous decision after three rounds.
Dominick Cruz has admitted his next fight at UFC Seattle will be his last.
Cruz is considered one of the best 135-pound fighters of all time, having defeated Demetrious Johnson, TJ Dillashaw and Urijah Faber during his illustrious 13-year spell with the UFC.
He is also a former UFC champion but is now set to retire on his 20th anniversary as a fighter, having competed in professional MMA since 2005.
His bout with fellow veteran Rob Font at UFC Seattle on February 23 will be his 11th in Dana White’s promotion.
But the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion cast no doubt when pressed by UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier that it will also be his last.
“For me, it is,” Cruz, 39, said on ESPN MMA. “Not because of my mentality, not because of my skillset.
“Yeah, I lost my last fight, but I was in that fight every minute of the fight. When I got finished, I was going for the kill, which got me hurt.
“It wasn’t one of those situations where I was bowing out of the fight.
“It was: I was in the fight trying to kill the guy and I hurt myself, and that led to the finish eventually.”
Cruz hasn’t fought in the UFC since August 2022, when he suffered a devastating knockout loss to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.
The California native went into the bout on a two-fight win streak, which followed consecutive title fight defeats to Cody Garbrandt and eventually Henry Cejudo, who initially retired after knocking Cruz out.
Cejudo has since returned to the UFC and is hoping to avenge his last two defeats in his UFC Seattle main event against Song Yadong.
Cruz had already reached the summit of the UFC’s bantamweight division prior to his first-ever UFC defeats.
Many MMA fans also argue that he could be one of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, had he not been struck by injuries on so many occasions.
“So, I look at that fight [vs Vera]. I go: ‘OK, don’t be too harsh on yourself.,” Cruz added.
“This is part of the game. You get hit. You get caught. These things happen.
“But I was in the fight. I wasn’t slower. I wasn’t looking behind a step. I wasn’t not choosing the good techniques.
“Those are all things I add to my mindset before moving into this last nine months as well.
“The skills are still there. It’s just a matter of all the injuries and stuff. Can I keep them together to get through the camp?
“The camp is the hard part. We all know that. It’s not really the fight.”
“If I had to fight in one week, I would get there healthy. But my body might not be as ready as it needs to be.
“But I got a six week camp to prepare myself and I’ve done a nine month chunk of time to make sure my body can handle that.”
After emerging as a champion under the WEC banner, Cruz first won bantamweight gold on his UFC debut from Faber in 2011.
He proceeded to defend the belt against Johnson before a series of injuries, including a torn ACL and groin, kept him out of action for three years.
Cruz returned in 2014, defeating Takeya Mizugaki in the first-round at UFC 178, before claiming the bantamweight title again two years later against Dillashaw after tearing the ACL in his other knee.
The 39-year-old defended the 135lb strap against Faber again in what would be his last victory in a UFC title fight as he went on to lose against Garbrandt and Cejudo, four years later, following more injuries.
Cruz’s opponent Font, 37, has been in the UFC for a similar period of time.
He made his debut in 2014 and has also fought some of the UFC’s biggest stars, including Jose Aldo and Deiveson Figueiredo.
Font was victorious in his last bout against Kyler Phillips in October, winning via unanimous decision after three rounds.
