Dominick Cruz lost to Henry Cejudo through TKO in the second round at UFC 249. Cejudo delivered a brutal knee to put the old bantamweight champion on the ground and put down a bunch of punches before referee Keith Peterson entered. Triple C went on to announce his retirement after his third successful title defense in the bantamweight division at the event.
Dominick Cruz was extremely disappointed with the stoppage of the fight and thought it was an early stop. Cruz has repeatedly criticized the way the game was handled and even accused referee Keith Peterson of drinking alcohol and cigarettes.
In a recent interview, Dominick Cruz reiterated his views on the decision. Dominick Cruz told Ariel Helwani of ESPN MMA:
“If you talk to the rest [the referees], you have a few things you need to do to keep the fight going. You have to defend yourself and you have to work for a better position. I was doing both of those things when the fighting stopped, “Cruz said.
“You can’t be knocked down while you’re standing on your feet, while someone is hanging on you. Like… I was okay. So it was hard for me to stop when he was stop too soon, one hundred percent. I don’t believe I lost that fight, I believe Keith Petersen took that fight, “Cruz said.
Dominick Cruz has a good MMA career
Dominick Cruz is said to be one of the best positions in UFC history despite losing nearly a decade during his prime as a result of various injuries. The UFC vice-champion has twice won over Ian McCall, Joseph Benavidez (twice), Urijah Faber (twice), Demetrious Johnson, Takeya Mizugaki and TJ Dillashaw.
Commenting on the importance of putting the title online, Dominick Cruz told Ariel Helwani:
“That’s why you have to praise Usman who has kept it as it is, he has cleared the division. I have done that before, do new fans know that or not. I’ve been like that person, and for me, that’s a real hero sign. “
“You can’t say if you can win the belt, how long you can hold it. How long can you stay at the top with that target on your back and keep it flowing and keep defending and defending and defending? ”Cruz added.
Published February 24, 2021, 21:22 IST