Dominick Cruz was one of the greatest UFC champions in the history of the promotion.
‘The Dominator’ announced his retirement from the sport in February. Cruz pulled out of his UFC Seattle co-main event with injury, an all too common occurrence for the future hall-of-famer. Either way, fans weren’t too pleased with Cruz’s booking against Rob Font; they preferred a legend vs. legend fight with somebody like Jose Aldo, perhaps for a double retirement.
Now, fans won’t see Cruz fight either way, as he announced his retirement on social media. He’ll still appear on the UFC panel, but his UFC accomplishments end today.
Dominick Cruz defeated TJ Dillashaw to claim UFC belt after a litany of injuries
Cruz was the reigning WEC bantamweight champion and became the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion with a win over Scott Jorgensen when the UFC absorbed WEC in 2010. He defended his new title twice before a string of injuries forced him to vacate the belt.
In his absence, bantamweight destroyer Renan Barao was elevated from interim to undisputed status and was thought to be the next big talent in the promotion. Then 31-1, Barao came up against up-and-coming TJ Dillashaw at UFC 173. Despite being a considerable favorite, Barao was dismantled by Dillashaw, who became the new champion.
Dillashaw defended the belt twice more against Joe Soto and in a rematch with Barao before welcoming Cruz’s return. Cruz had previously taken a three-year leave before returning to winning ways at UFC 178 against Takeya Mizugaki. Cruz’s fight with Dillashaw was almost two years later after another ACL tear.
Touted as one of the greatest bantamweight throwdowns of all time, Cruz vs. Dillashaw delivered on all fronts. Fans saw the highest level of mixed martial arts as Cruz and Dillashaw pitted their unique styles against one another.
Cruz defeated Dillashaw by split decision, securing his second reign as the UFC bantamweight champion. In his post-fight interview, Cruz remarked, “I tried to explain that there’s no such thing as rust; how many times have I said that?
“[…] Rust does not exist unless you don’t train hard enough.
Why was Dominick Cruz injured so much
Cruz’s injuries can be credited partly to his style and overtraining. ‘The Dominator’ brought a unique style to the Octagon, consisting of evasive movement and wide looping punches. The core of Cruz’s style was staying off the center line while providing offense and overloading his opponent’s senses with in-and-out feints. He only started to lose decisively when his body couldn’t keep up.
Injuries are part of training in MMA, and for a style like Cruz’s, sustaining them in training was more than common.