Dominick Cruz

Early life

Cruz was born in San Diego, California, and is of Mexican descent. He lived with his single mother, grandmother, and brother in a trailer park in Tucson for most of his childhood. He started wrestling in seventh grade and competed all through high school out of Flowing Wells High School. After an injury that came in his senior year, he lost the opportunity of receiving a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Northern Colorado. Cruz worked as a customer service representative at Lowe's, and was studying to be a firefighter at community college before becoming a full time fighter.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Cruz began his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 2005, competing in the Rage in the Cage and Total Combat organizations. He amassed a record of 9–0 before joining World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

World Extreme Cagefighting

His first fight in the WEC was at featherweight at WEC 26 in a title fight against Urijah Faber in which he lost by guillotine choke in the first round. The fight would become the beginning of a longstanding cantankerous rivalry between the two.

He would then make his debut for the WEC's 135 lb bantamweight division on June 7, 2008, at WEC 34 defeating Charlie Valencia by unanimous decision.

Cruz went on to take decision victories against Ian McCall on January 25, 2009, at WEC 38 and April 5, 2009, Ivan Lopez at WEC 40.

Cruz defeated Joseph Benavidez on August 9, 2009, at WEC 42 by unanimous decision. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors.

WEC Bantamweight Championship

Riding a four-fight win streak, Cruz was presented with a title shot against the reigning WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles. The bout took place at WEC 47 on March 6, 2010. Cruz won the bout via TKO after Bowles was unable to continue after the second round after breaking his hand. Cruz became the new WEC Bantamweight Champion.

Cruz made his first title defense against Joseph Benavidez on August 18, 2010, at WEC 50. Cruz broke his left hand in the fight. The bout was a rematch of their contest at WEC 42, in which Cruz handed Benavidez his first career loss, via decision. Cruz defeated Benavidez again via split decision and retained his title.

Cruz faced Scott Jorgensen on December 14, 2010, at WEC 53 for both the WEC Bantamweight Championship and the newly created UFC Bantamweight Championship. This bout would be the final Bantamweight Championship fight under the WEC banner and would also crown the inaugural UFC Bantamweight champion, making this the only UFC title fight to take place outside of the UFC. Cruz defeated Jorgensen via unanimous decision to retain the WEC Bantamweight Championship and become the first UFC Bantamweight Champion.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Bantamweight Championship

On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

A rematch with Urijah Faber took place on July 2, 2011, at UFC 132 being the first defense of the new UFC Bantamweight title. In a closely contested fight which saw Faber drop Cruz multiple times with strikes and Cruz landing multiple leg\body kicks, knees and takedowns, Cruz defeated Faber via unanimous decision to retain his championship and avenge the only loss on his record at that time.

Cruz defeated Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision on October 1, 2011, at UFC on Versus 6, his second UFC title defense. Cruz broke his right hand in the first round. Cruz was expected to face Urijah Faber for a third time for the UFC bantamweight championship after Faber defeated Brian Bowles at UFC 139 in a bantamweight title eliminator bout.

String of injuries

In December 2011, Cruz was selected to coach The Ultimate Fighter: Live against opposing coach Urijah Faber. The rubber match between Cruz and Faber was expected to take place on July 7, 2012, at UFC 148. However, on May 7, 2012, Cruz was forced to pull out of the bout citing a torn ACL.

On December 3, 2012, it was revealed that Cruz underwent another ACL surgery after his body rejected one from a cadaver, with an expected recovery time of six to nine months.

Cruz was scheduled to make his return on February 1, 2014, at UFC 169 in a unification bout with interim UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barão. However, on a January 6 episode of SportsCenter, UFC president Dana White announced that Dominick Cruz had torn his groin and vacated the UFC Bantamweight Championship; White promoted Barão to undisputed UFC Bantamweight Champion, and announced that Barão's first unified title defense would be against Urijah Faber at UFC 169.

After nearly three years away from the sport due to injuries, Cruz returned to the octagon on September 27, 2014, at UFC 178 where he faced Takeya Mizugaki. Cruz won the fight by KO in the first round by punches after getting a takedown. The win also earned Cruz his first Performance of the Night bonus award. At the post-fight press conference, Dana White confirmed that Cruz's next fight would be for the Bantamweight Championship against T.J. Dillashaw.

Subsequently, on December 22, 2014, Cruz indicated that he had torn the ACL in his other knee, which sidelined him through 2015.

Regaining the championship

After over four years since his last title fight, Cruz faced T.J. Dillashaw on January 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 81. He regained the title with a split-decision victory. Both participants were awarded Fight of the Night honors. Many have cited the return and victory as one of the greatest comebacks in MMA history.

To complete their trilogy, Cruz defended his title against Urijah Faber on June 4, 2016, at UFC 199. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Injuries and losing the title

Cruz faced Cody Garbrandt on December 30, 2016, at UFC 207. After getting knocked down multiple times during the bout, Cruz lost the bout by unanimous decision. This was the first loss for Cruz in nearly 10 years. Months later, on The Joe Rogan Experience, Cruz revealed that he was plagued by plantar fascia tendinitis throughout training camp that made it difficult for him to walk at times.

Cruz was expected to face Jimmie Rivera on December 30, 2017, at UFC 219, however, on November 8, it was reported Cruz suffered a broken arm and he was forced to pull from the card.

Cruz was expected to face John Lineker on January 26, 2019 at UFC 233. It was reported on December 11, 2018 that Cruz injured his shoulder and pulled out of the fight. Subsequently, Cruz indicated that he expects to be out of competition for another year.

After more than a 3 year-layoff, Cruz replaced José Aldo and faced Henry Cejudo for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on May 9, 2020 at UFC 249. Cruz lost via TKO in the second round.

Cruz faced Casey Kenney on March 6, 2021 at UFC 259. He won the fight via split decision.

Cruz faced Pedro Munhoz on December 11, 2021 at UFC 269. He won the fight via unanimous decision despite getting knocked down twice during the opening round. The bout earned the Fight of the Night bonus award.

Cruz faced Marlon Vera on August 13, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 41. He lost the fight by knockout via a head kick in round four.

Retirement

After over a two year absence, Cruz was scheduled to face Rob Font on February 22, 2025, at UFC Fight Night 252. However, Cruz withdrew from the fight due to a shoulder injury, and announced his retirement from competition.

Hall of Fame

During UFC 324's broadcast, Cruz was announced as the next "modern wing" inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, with the ceremony scheduled for International Fight Week in Las Vegas in June 2026.

Fighting style

Considered to be one of the best MMA fighters of his generation, Cruz combines constant lateral motion with precise, in-and-out striking. Known as one of the most agile fighters in MMA, he is noted for his quick footwork, head movement, and use of feints. He often attacks with combinations, step-in jabs, and single strikes thrown from all angles. In addition to his striking, Cruz has extensive training in amateur wrestling.

Championships and accomplishments

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • UFC Hall of Fame (Modern Wing, Class of 2026)
  • UFC Bantamweight Championship (Two times; inaugural)
    • Three successful title defenses (two during first reign, one during second reign)
    • Tied (Aljamain Sterling, T.J. Dillashaw, Merab Dvalishvili) for most title defenses in UFC Bantamweight division history (3)
    • Tied (Aljamain Sterling & Renan Barao) for second most title fight wins in UFC Bantamweight division history (4)
  • Fight of the Night (Four times) vs. Urijah Faber, T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt and Pedro Munhoz.
  • Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Takeya Mizugaki
  • Longest single title reign in UFC Bantamweight division history by number of days (1,117)
  • Longest combined title reign in UFC Bantamweight division history by number of days (1,465)
  • Most title wins in UFC/WEC Bantamweight division history (7)
  • Tied (Aljamain Sterling) for most wins in UFC/WEC Bantamweight division history (14)
  • Most takedowns landed in UFC/WEC Bantamweight division history (55)
  • UFC.com Awards
    • 2011: Import of the Year, Ranked #10 Fighter of the Year & Ranked #4 Fight of the Year vs. Urijah Faber 2
    • 2016: Ranked #4 Fighter of the Year
• World Extreme Cagefighting
  • WEC Bantamweight Championship (One time, final)
    • Two successful title defenses
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Joseph Benavidez
• Total Combat
  • Total Combat Lightweight Championship (One time)
  • Total Combat Featherweight Championship (One time)
• The Athletic
  • 2010s Men's Bantamweight Fighter of the Decade
• USA Today
  • 2010 Fighter of the Year
• Fight Matrix
  • 2016 Comeback Fighter of the Year
• World MMA Awards
  • 2014 Comeback Fighter of the Year
  • 2015 Analyst of the Year
  • 2016 Analyst of the Year
  • 2017 Analyst of the Year
• CBS Sports
  • 2016 #9 Ranked UFC Fight of the Year vs. T.J. Dillashaw

Mixed martial arts record

| ko-wins= 7 | sub-wins= 1 | dec-wins= 16 | ko-losses= 2 | sub-losses= 1 | dec-losses= 1 | dq-wins= | dq-losses= | other-wins=

| |San Diego, California, United States | |- |Win |Pedro Munhoz |Decision (unanimous) |UFC 269 | |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |Henry Cejudo |TKO (knee and punches) |UFC 249 | |Jacksonville, Florida, United States

| |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| |Inglewood, California, United States

| |Boston, Massachusetts, United States

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Washington D.C., United States

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Glendale, Arizona, United States

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Columbus, Ohio, United States

| | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | Chicago, Illinois, United States

| | San Diego, California, United States | |- | Win | Charlie Valencia | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 34 | | Sacramento, California, United States

| | Yuma, Arizona, United States | |- | Loss | Urijah Faber | Submission (guillotine choke) | WEC 26 | | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

| | San Diego, California, United States

| | San Diego, California, United States

| | San Diego, California, United States | |- | Win | Michael Barney | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 79 | | Tucson, Arizona, United States | |- | Win | Nick Hedrick | Decision (unanimous) | Rage in the Cage 75 | | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |- | Win | Josh Donahue | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 74 | | Casa Grande, Arizona, United States | |- | Win | Tom Schwager | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 73 | | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |- | Win | Rosco McClellan | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 70 | | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |- | Win | Eddie Castro | Decision (split) | Rage in the Cage 67 | | Phoenix, Arizona, United States |

Pay-per-view bouts

References

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