Dominick Cruz is set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon next month at a UFC Fight Night event in Seattle, where he will face Rob Font. This marks Cruz’s first fight in two years, sparking speculation among fans that this might be his retirement bout.
The bantamweight legend, while speaking with ESPN, admitted this could very well be the case.
For me, it is,” Cruz said. “(It’s) not because of my mentality, not because of my skillset. 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.’
Reflecting on his 2022 knockout loss to Marlon Vera, Cruz maintained confidence in his abilities.
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.
The Seattle event will also feature a high-profile bantamweight clash between former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo and rising contender Song Yadong, which is scheduled to headline at the Climate Pledge Arena.