Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Legend Dominick Cruz retires Announced His Retirement Before Alleged Last Fight!

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Dominick Cruz announced his retirement from the UFC. He is a former 2x UFC Bantamweight champion who competed in 28 MMA fights overall. He had a career win-loss record of 24-4-0 and remained dominant for the most part of his career. Cruz was known for his volume striking, fight IQ, and was constant movement. Despite his skills, Cruz struggled with injuries which in part played a role in his decision to retire. You can also call Cruz the pioneer of the Bantamweight division as he is UFC’s first ever Bantamweight champion, when the WEC and UFC combined together.

Despite the injuries, Cruz will forever be known as one of the best UFC fighters of all time. Let us look at why Cruz announced his retirement from the sport.

How good was Dominick Cruz in his prime?

He won his first ever WEC title in 2010 and the UFC Bantamweight championship soon after. He defended his Bantamweight title twice in 2011 against former UFC greats Urijah Faber and the Mighty Mouse, Demetrious Johnson. However, due to injuries, the Bantamweight title was stripped from Cruz in 2012. 4 years later, Cruz regained the Bantamweight title after winning against T.J Dillashaw. His redemption arc is looked at as one of the greatest comeback stories in UFC history.

He fought against a lot of great fighters in the Bantamweight division which includes Demetrious Johnson, T.J Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo and many more. He lost his first title fight against Cody Garbrandt in UFC 207 back in December of 2016. Cruz got a shot at winning the Bantamweight title, again, in 2020. However, Henry Cejudo proved to much of a challenge for him. The fight was stopped prematurely and Cruz was not happy with the referee’s decision. Had it not been for injuries, Cruz could have probably fought for a longer period.

Lots of bad blood in this one! TJ Dillashaw vs Dominick Cruz!! #UFC pic.twitter.com/dXownobUvH
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 12, 2015

Injuries played a huge role in Cruz’s retirement decision

Dominick Cruz released a retirement letter on X. The letter basically talked about how he two shoulder dislocations in the last 8 months caused him to retire. Cruz was set to take on Rob Font, for his last fight in the UFC. However, he was forced to withdrawn due to his injuries. His last fight in the Octagon was against Marlon Vera where he lost the fight, in 2022.

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Cruz also thanked all of his fans across the world and also the UFC for the opportunity that was presented to him. Cruz will forever be remembered as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Also Read: Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis share Valentine’s Day message for each other

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I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.