Dominick Cruz confirms plan to retire after UFC Seattle fight comeback: ‘These things happen’
Former two-time bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz has revealed his slated return at UFC Seattle against perennial contender, Rob Font will come as his retirement outing in combat sports, as he reflected on his most recent knockout loss to Marlon Vera.
Cruz, a former two-time bantamweight gold holder, is set to co-headline UFC Seattle in March, making a return in a co-main event clash with stalwart challenger, Font — snapping an almost three-year hiatus from action.
Most recently headlining UFC Fight Night San Diego, Cruz was stopped by former title challenger, Vera with a devastating fourth round high-kick knockout, in a bout many have argued he was winning en route to the stoppage.
The defeat snapped a two-fight winning spree for the veteran former WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting) gold holder, who had bested both Pedro Munhoz, and promotional veteran, Casey Kenney during that run.
Dominick Cruz confirms plan to retire after UFC Seattle return fight
And booked to take on Font in two months time in D.C., Dominick Cruz confirmed he will likely call time on his storied career in combat sports following the matchup.
For me, it is,” Dominick Cruz said when asked if UFC Seattle would come as his final fight during an interview with ESPN. “(It’s) not because of my mentality, not because of my skill set. 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 that I was in the fight trying to kill the guy, and I hurt myself, and that led to the finish eventually. I looked at that fight. I go, ‘OK, don’t be too harsh on yourself. This is part of the game. You get hit. You get caught. These things happen.’
“But I was in the fight,” Dominick Cruz explained. “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.”
