Dominick Cruz returns from two-year layoff at UFC Seattle vs. Rob Font

Dominick Cruz will fight for the first time since August 2022.

Former UFC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] has agreed to fight for the first time since 2022.

Verbal agreements are in place for Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) to face Rob Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 252 co-main event Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

A person with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie that both parties have agreed following a report by ESPN that cited UFC CBO Hunter Campbell.

Cruz, 39, most recently competed in a knockout loss to Marlon Vera in August 2022. The defeat snapped a two-fight winning streak that was comprised of decision wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz.

Font, 37, snapped a two-fight losing skid in October when he defeated Kyler Phillips by unanimous decision. The bout was Font’s first training at Tristar in Montreal. Font is 2-4 in his most recent six, though the losses have only come to top contenders.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 252 lineup includes:

  • Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
  • Dominick Cruz vs. Rob Font
  • Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia
  • Michael Chiesa vs. TBA
  • Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez
  • Ibo Aslan vs. Ion Cutelaba
  • Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
  • Islam Dulatov vs. Adam Fugitt
  • Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Jean Silva
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Raffael Cerqueira
  • Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.