"The UFC knows what they're doing," Cruz said. "I didn't pick my position on the card. It's a position Cruz has no problem taking and feels the UFC has an excellent reason to put him in this slot. The last time Cruz appeared on the prelims' prime spot was his 61 second knockout of Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178. More often than not, the prelims are seen by more people than the actual pay-per-view. Not being in there, not competing, while these fighters were that still makes me the best at that moment, regardless of the layout."Ĭruz-Kenney is the featured UFC 259 prelim. But when I came back from the injury, I was still facing the number one fighter on the planet after that layoff. "People want to say, 'Yeah, you had the title for a long time, but he's injured a lot.
But mostly, it's the defenses that I had, the level of competition that I faced, and how long I was able to retain that title even with an injury. "So that for sure, that's what I need to know for me to be the greatest now.
Right now, I'm still competing 16 years later. I had beaten the number one pound-for-pound fighter when I was ranked number two in the pound-for-pound list. "In the past, I was on the pound-for-pound list as well. That's what it takes to me to be one of the greatest. There was a point where I beat every contender in the top 10. Not to mention, I did clear out my division. That's a very strict regiment that I kept. But I'm one of those seven fighters, seven champions who's defended the title three times in one year. I know I've been labeled as somebody who's been laid off a lot. I really do," Cruz explained to DAZN News. "I look at the things that I've done, and you can think of maybe six, maybe seven fighters tops who have defended the title three times in one year. It's an assessment that Cruz agrees with.
#DOMINICK CRUZ SERIES#
But this go-around didn't give Cruz the fairy tale ending like the last time around, losing to then-champion Henry Cejudo.ĭespite the long layoffs and the series of unfortunate injuries, it's hard to deny Cruz's standing as the best to do ever compete at 135 pounds. Injuries once again set Cruz back and this time put him on the sidelines for almost three-and-half years. After winning the rubber match against Urijah Faber at UFC 199 to successfully retain the belt, Cruz lost the strap to Cody Garbrandt in 2017. The native of California defended the belt twice before a series of knee injuries sidelined him for nearly three years.Ĭruz went on to regain the title from TJ Dillashaw in January 2016. Cruz defended the WEC title twice before the company merged with the UFC at the end of 2010. He's a former WEC and two-time UFC bantamweight champion. One of the best to do it is Dominick Cruz, who returns on Saturday at UFC 259 against Casey Kenney.Ĭruz (22-3) has had one of the most outstanding careers in MMA history. More people want to see knockouts, whereas the lower divisions, which are featherweight, bantamweight, flyweight, and women's strawweight, quite often have to use their speed, skill, and fight IQ to emerge victorious.
The lower weight classes aren't viewed the same way as the upper weight divisions. They feel that way because of the wins they garnered and the championships they won. That's just the way it is.įans view Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Fedor Emelianenko as the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time. People like or dislike fighters based on their performance.
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