Dominick Cruz – Syndication Server

UFC on ESPN 65: How to watch Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more (Updated)

Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC on ESPN 65 on ESPN and ESPN+.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The UFC is back in its “Sin City” home base this week with UFC on ESPN 65 in Las Vegas.

Here’s how to watch UFC on ESPN 65 with a pair of featherweight scrappers at the top of the card.

Broadcast and streaming info

UFC on ESPN 65 has a main card that starts at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+. The preliminary card airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET.

Veteran broadcaster [autotag]Karyn Bryant[/autotag] serves as desk anchor and host at UFC on ESPN 65.

Retired veteran lightweight [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag], former Invicta FC champion [autotag]Michelle Waterson-Gomez[/autotag] and “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] join her at the desk as analysts at the desk throughout the broadcast and on the post-fight show.

Longtime UFC correspondent [autotag]Megan Olivi[/autotag] will conduct pre and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC on ESPN 65 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.

[autotag]Brendan Fitzgerald[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC on ESPN 65.

He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag] and former UFC/WEC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag].

Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz, Michael Bisping

(Mike Bohn—MMA Junkie)

Main event: Josh Emmett

Record: 19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC
Opponent: Lerone Murphy (15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Bryce Mitchell, Calvin Kattar, Dan Ige, Shane Burgos, Mirsad Bektic, Ricardo Lamas
Misc.: Emmett is coming off what no doubt was a particularly satisfying result when he sent professed nazi and Hitler fan and sympathizer Bryce Mitchell into a deep enough realm that when he woke up and saw his shadow, it guaranteed at least six more years of him thinking the earth is flat. That snapped a two-fight skid to Ilia Topuria and Yair Rodriguez, the latter of which was in an interim title fight.

Dec 16, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Josh Emmett (red gloves) reacts after knocking out Bryce Mitchell (blue gloves) during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Main event: Lerone Murphy

Record: 15-0-1 MMA, 7-0-1 UFC
Opponent: Josh Emmett (19-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Dan Ige, Edson Barboza,
Misc.: For the second time in three fights, England’s Murphy is in a main event. His first, against Edson Barboza less than a year ago, was a Fight of the Night winner. His climb up the UFC ladder has been steady, but a win over Emmett with Barboza and Dan Ige the two before it would be a stellar resume notch.

Lerone Murphy def. Dan Ige, UFC 308 (via UFC)

Co-main event: Joanderson Brito

Record: 17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC
Opponent: Pat Sabatini (19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Jack Shore, Jonathan Pearce, Andre Fili, Diego Lopes, Chepe Mariscal
Misc.: Brito had a five-fight winning streak snapped by a split decision loss to William Gomis in Paris this past September. The five wins before that all were stoppages, including two for post-fight bonus awards.

Co-main event: Pat Sabatini

Record: 19-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC
Opponent: Joanderson Brito (17-4-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Key wins: Jonathan Pearce, Lucas Almeida, Jamal Emmers
Misc.: Sabatini has traded wins and losses his past five fights, but got back on the uptick with a first-round submission of Jonathan Pearce this past fall.

UFC debut: Torrez Finney

Record: 10-0
Opponent: Rob Valentin (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Middlweight
Misc.: For some reason, a whole bunch of fighters have gotten into the UFC with underwhelming decision wins on DWCS. Anymore, it seems like the only requirement is win and you win a contract. That wasn’t the case for Finney, who finally will make an actual UFC walk – after three wins on DWCS. His first one was a submission in 2023 that wasn’t good enough – and he was the only one on the card who didn’t get a contract that show. A decision in 2024 wasn’t good enough, either – and again he was the only one on the card who left the building without a contract from Dana White, even though another decision winner got a deal. The same season, he returned and got a stoppage win – and finally a deal.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 01: Torrez Finney reacts after defeating Abdellah Er-Ramy of Morocco in their middleweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season eight, week eight event at UFC Apex on October 1, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

UFC debut: Luis Gurule

Record: 10-0
Opponent: Ode Osbourne (12-8 MMA, 4-6 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Misc.: Gurule’s split decision win on DWCS this past October was enough to get the 31-year-old Coloradan into the UFC.

UFC debut: Daniel Frunza

Record: 9-2
Opponent: Rhys McKee (13-6-1 MMA, 0-4 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Misc.: Italy-based 30-year-old punched his ticket to the UFC through DWCS this past fall. He has five straight wins, and eight of nine in his career have been stoppages – all knockouts.

UFC debut: Uran Satybaldiev

Record: 9-0
Opponent: Martin Buday (14-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC)
Division: Heavyweight
Misc.: A short-notice UFC opportunity was an easy call for Satybaldiev, from Kyrgyzstan. He normally fights at light heavyweight and comes to the promotion as LFA’s 205-pound champion. But for his debut, he won’t have to stress about cutting weight. He has seven of his nine wins by stoppage, including his two LFA title fights in 2024.

UFC on ESPN 65 main card betting odds

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 9 p.m. ET)

Josh Emmett +260 vs. Lerone Murphy -325
Joanderson Brito -230 vs. Pat Sabatini +190
ChangHo Lee -135 vs. Cortavious Romious +115
Gerald Meerschaert +165 vs. Brad Tavares -200
Luis Gurule -265 vs. Ode Osbourne +215
Torrez Finney -305 vs. Rob Valentin +245

UFC on ESPN 65 prelim betting odds

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 20: (L-R) Vanessa Demopoulos punches Karolina Kowalkiewicz of Poland in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 20, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)

Dione Barbosa -1000 vs. Diana Belbita +650
Daniel Frunza -155 vs. Rhys McKee +130
Loma Lookboonmee -700 vs. Istela Nunes +500
Pedro Falcao +185 vs. Victor Henry -220
Martin Buday N/A vs. Uran Satybaldiev N/A
Talita Alencar -110 vs. Vanessa Demopoulos -110

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 65.

Jon Anik praises Dominick Cruz’s recent growth as UFC commentator

UFC commentator Jon Anik has noticed his partner and former champ Dominick Cruz has elevated his broadcast game.

UFC commentator [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] believes his broadcast partner and former bantamweight champ [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] is hitting a new stride on the mic.

A mainstay on the UFC broadcast team, Anik looks forward to spending more time with Cruz as a commentary partner now that he has retired from competition following a shoulder injury that prompted the cancelation of a scheduled bout in Seattle against Rob Font.

“Dominick Cruz is certainly my best friend among broadcast partners,” Anik told MMA Junkie Radio. “The man I have spent the most time with on the road over the years, and I think, you know, the guy that I’ve leaned on the most in terms of helping me improve and reciprocally sort of helping him improve – just having an open mind to all of that.”

Cruz has been alongside Anik in the commentary booth off and on for years while still competing in the twilight of his Hall of Fame-worthy fighting career. Cruz’s first whole show in the commentary booth was at UFC Fight Night 95 in September 2016.

As his retirement approached and he focused more on improving his skills in the booth, Anik says it’s hard to deny his growth as an analyst.

“If you are intimating that Dominick Cruz has raised his broadcast game over the last 12 months, I couldn’t agree with you more,” Anik responded when asked if the chemistry between his commentary partners has risen over the past year. “Even though Dom’s done a lot of work on himself, he doesn’t always take compliments well.

“I’ve been trying to tell him, like, ‘Dude, I don’t know if there’s something in the water, but your analytics have been absolutely on fire.’ I think for a long time, I’m not telling your audience anything they don’t know, but Dominick Cruz has simplified an intrinsically difficult-to-understand sport better than anybody for a long time.”

At times over the years, UFC fans and even Cruz’s fighting peers, have given him harsh feedback for his commentary. But for every negative remark, Cruz will relay an eerily accurate prediction of what will come next just seconds before it actually happens inside the cage.

From Anik’s perspective, the entire team consitently works at being better for each event, while also not trying to detract from what the athletes are doing when the cage door closes.

“In total honesty, we are trying to not get in the way of a live sporting event that people hold near and dear to their heart,” Anik said. “We are trying to be as listenable as possible for eight hours and not get in the way, and elevate the television experience.”

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UFC Fight Night 254: How to watch Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more (Updated)

Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC Fight Night 254 on ESPN+.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The UFC stays in its Las Vegas home base for the third straight week, and in this final one, a former middleweight title challenger is at the top of the lineup.

Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 254 with 185-pounders in the headlining spot, plus a fun welterweight scrap in the co-feature.

Broadcast and streaming info

UFC Fight Night 254 has a main card that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+</a. The preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 4 p.m. ET.

Veteran broadcaster [autotag]Karyn Bryant[/autotag] serves as desk anchor and host at UFC Fight Night 254.

Former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag], “The Ultimate Fighter 15” winner [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and coach [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] join her as analysts at the desk.

UFC correspondent [autotag]Megan Olivi[/autotag] will conduct pre- and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC Fight Night 254 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.

[autotag]Brendan Fitzgerald[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC Fight Night 254.

He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by retired former former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] and UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Michael Bisping[/autotag].

Main event: Marvin Vettori

Record: 19-7-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC
Opponent: Roman Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Roman Dolidze, Paulo Costa, Kevin Holland, Jack Hermansson
Misc.: A five-fight winning streak got him a 2021 title shot against then-champ Israel Adesanya. But after that unanimous decision loss, he’s alternated wins and losses – and the setbacks have been against former champs and title challengers. The fight against Dolidze is a rematch from two years ago that Vettori won.

Main event: Roman Dolidze

Record: 14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC
Opponent: Marvin Vettori (19-7-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Kevin Holland, Anthony Smith, Jack Hermansson
Misc.: Dolidze had four straight wins and three straight bonuses when he was outworked by Vettori in their first meeting in 2023. He lost a decision to Nassourdine Imavov after that, but now has back-to-back wins over Holland Smith from 2024.

Jun 29, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Roman Dolidze (blue gloves) fights Anthony Smith (red gloves) during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Co-main event: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

Record: 25-8-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC
Opponent: Chidi Njokuani (24-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Key wins: Benoit Saint-Denis, Sean Strickland
Misc.: Zaleski dos Santos got back on track with a 75-second knockout of then-unbeaten Zach Scroggin this past November.

Co-main event: Chidi Njokuani

Record: 24-10 MMA, 4-3 UFC
Opponent: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (25-8-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC)
Division: Welterweight
Key wins: Jared Gooden, Dusko Todorovic, Marc-Andre Barriault
Misc.: After a three-fight skid, Njokuani is back on track with 2024 decision wins over Gooden and Rhys McKee.

UFC debut: Kevin Vallejos

Record: 14-1
Opponent: Seungwoo Choi (11-7 MMA, 4-6 UFC)
Division: Featherweight
Misc.: THe 23-yeard-old took out Cam Teague with a first-round knockout on DWCS to get his UFC shot. His first shot on DWCS resulted in his only loss to date – to current UFC rising star Jean Silva.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 24: (R-L) Kevin Vallejos of Argentina punches Cam Teague in a featherweight fight during Dana White’s Contender Series season eight, week seven at UFC APEX on September 24, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC debut: Diyar Nurgozhay

Record: 10-0
Opponent: Brendson Ribeiro (16-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Light heavyweight
Misc.: The 27-year-old from Kazakhstan has eight of his 10 wins by stoppage, including six knockouts. One of those came less than a year ago against 2019 $1 million PFL winner Emiliano Sordi.

UFC debut: Josias Musasa

Record: 8-0
Opponent: Carlos Vera (11-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Bantamweight
Misc.: For the first time in his brief career, Musasa, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, had to go to the judges for a win. But it was on DWCS, and his split call over fellow unbeaten prospect Otari Tanzilovi was enough to get him to the show.

Josias Musasa def Otar Tanzilovi – DWCS 71

UFC debut: Yuneisy Duben

Record: 6-0
Opponent: Carli Judice (3-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Division: Women’s flyweight
Misc.: Born in Venezuela and fighting out of Pittsburgh, the 28-year-old has all her wins by stoppage, including a 73-second KO of Shannon Clark on DWCS to get into the UFC.

UFC Fight Night 254 main card betting odds

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

Marvin Vettori -150 vs. Roman Dolidze +125
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos -205 vs. Chidi Njokuani +170
Alexander Hernandez -205 vs. Kurt Holobaugh +170
Da’Mon Blackshear -485 vs. Cody Gibson +370
Diyar Nurgozhay -375 vs. Brendson Ribeiro +295
Seungwoo Choi +440 vs. Kevin Vallejos -600

UFC Fight Night 254 prelim betting odds

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

Waldo Cortes-Acosta -175 vs. Ryan Spann +145
A.J. Cunningham +455 vs. Su Young You -625
Josias Musasa -800 vs. Carlos Vera +550
Sam Hughes +190 vs. Stephanie Luciano -230
Daniel Barez +310 vs. Andre Lima -395
Priscila Cachoeira +155 vs. Josiane Nunes -185
Yuneisy Duben +285 vs. Carli Judice -360

Full fight videos

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 254.

Dominick Cruz pinpoints Magomed Ankalaev’s keys to UFC 313 title win vs. Alex Pereira

Dominick Cruz wants to see Magomed Ankalaev utilize his full skillset vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 313.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] wants to see [autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag] utilize his full skillset vs. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] at UFC 313.

Ankalaev (20-1-1 MMA, 11-1-1 UFC) challenges light heavyweight champion Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) in Saturday’s main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+).

Ankalaev previously said he won’t need to wrestle Pereira to beat him, but the former UFC bantamweight champion thinks that would be a mistake. No one has had an answer to “Poatan” on the feet at 205 pounds, and Cruz thinks it would be inadvisable for Ankalaev to follow a disproven path.

“We’ve seen the streak that Pereira’s put together, it’s about time we see him vs. a giant that can really take his punch,” Cruz told Helen Yee. “That’s the difference. Can Ankalaev take the power? If you’ve watched Pereira, he’s training with heavyweights in boxing so his striking is looking phenomenal. If you just watch the films that he lets you see, but Ankalaev doesn’t let you see anything. So you have no reads, you don’t know how good his striking is or isn’t.

“And he says he’s going to strike, but I hope not to be honest because you want to see Pereira really challenged, and I think the best way that Ankalaev can challenge him is by mixing the striking and the wrestling together. There’s a beauty to see alone in just that, mixing of the two arts rather than I’m just going to wrestle him, or I’m just going to strike with him. I think that’s the key to beating somebody like Pereira.”

Pereira’s power has shut the lights off his past three opponents, where he’s knocked out Jiri Prochazka twice, Jamahal Hill, and most recently Khalil Rountree at UFC 307.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 313.

UFC Fight Night 253: How to watch Manel Kape vs. Asu Almabayev, start time, Las Vegas fight card, odds, more (Updated)

Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC Fight Night 253 on ESPN+.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The UFC is back in its Las Vegas home base for the next three weeks, and in this first week, flyweight contenders are at the top of the bill.

Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 253 with 125-pounders in the headlining spot, plus a potential middleweight slugfest in the co-feature.

Broadcast and streaming info

UFC Fight Night 253 has a main card that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The preliminary card streams on ESPN+ at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Veteran broadcaster [autotag]Dan Hellie[/autotag] serves as desk anchor and host at UFC Fight Night 253.

Former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] and coach [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] join her as analysts at the desk.

UFC correspondent [autotag]Heidi Androl[/autotag] will conduct pre- and post-fight interviews backstage with some of the athletes on the UFC Fight Night 253 card, as well as report additional real-time updates for the event.

[autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] will serve as the leading man on the mic from cageside at UFC Fight Night 253.

He’ll command play-by-play and be joined in the booth by retired former former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag], who gets his first assignment since hanging up the gloves in a rare two-man booth.

It is the first time UFC has utilized a two-man booth since August 2022 with Brendan Fitzgerald and Michael Bisping at UFC on ESPN 40.

(Mike Bohn, MMA Junkie)

Main event: Manel Kape

Record: 20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC
Opponent: Asu Almabayev (21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Bruno Silva, Felipe dos Santos
Misc.: Kape has had plenty of ups and downs in the UFC, including more canceled fights than the average fighter. He’s coming off a third-round knockout of Bruno Silva and was set to get former title challenger Brandon Royval this week until an injury caused a switch to Almabayev.

Dec 14, 2024; Tampa, Florida, UNITED STATES; Manel Kape (red gloves) reacts after defeating Bruno Silva (blue gloves) at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Main event: Asu Almabayev

Record: 21-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC
Opponent: Manel Kape (20-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC)
Division: Flyweight
Key wins: Matheus Nicolau, CJ Vergara, Ode Osbourne
Misc.: Kape is Almabayev’s third opponent after Steve Erceg and Allan Nascimento both fell by the wayside to set up this main event with Kape. After a bonus-winning submission in his UFC debut, Almabayev has three straight decision wins.

Asu Almabayev def. CJ Vergara, UFC 299 (via UFC)

Co-main event: Cody Brundage

Record: 10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC
Opponent: Julian Marquez (9-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Zach Reese, Jacob Malkoun
Misc.: After a submission loss to Bo Nickal, Brundage’s fight with Abdul Razak Alhassan was a no contest after Brundage landed illegal strikes to the back of the head. He was set to fight Ryan Loder, but gets Marquez as a replacement.

Co-main event: Julian Marquez

Record: 9-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC
Opponent: Cody Brundage (10-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Key wins: Sam Alvey, Maki Pitolo, Darren Stewart
Misc.: Marquez had a cup of coffee in 2021 as a hot commodity at middleweight with back-to-back bonus-winning submissions and a viral crush on Miley Cyrus. Since then, it’s been nothing but canceled fights and three knockout losses, leaving him badly in need of a win.

UFC debut: Mario Pinto

Record: 9-0
Opponent: Austen Lane (13-5 MMA, 1-2 UFC)
Division: Middleweight
Misc.: The 26-year-old from Portugal punched his ticket to the big show with a first-round knockout win on DWCS this past fall.

Mario Pinto def. Lucas Camacho – DWCS 75

UFC Fight Night 253 main card betting odds

MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)

Manel Kape -245 vs. Asu Almabayev +200
Cody Brundage +140 vs. Julian Marquez -170
Nasrat Haqparast +210 vs. Esteban Ribovics -260
Hyder Amil +175 vs. William Gomis -210
Danny Barlow -300 vs. Sam Patterson +400

UFC Fight Night 253 prelim betting odds

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)

Austen Lane +280 vs. Mario Pinto -380
Chepe Mariscal -450 vs. Ricardo Ramos +325
Lucas Almeida +160 vs. Danny Silva -190
JJ Aldrich -185 vs. Andrea Lee +155
Charles Johnson +105 vs. Ramazan Temirov -125

UFC Fight Night 253 preview videos

Dana White glad former UFC champ Dominick Cruz retired after another injury

UFC CEO Dana White reacts to Dominick Cruz’s retirement and is “glad that he finally hung it up.”

UFC CEO [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] fully supports [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]’s decision to retire from MMA.

Former UFC and WEC champion Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was scheduled to compete in his final fight on Feb. 22 against Rob Font, but sustained another serious shoulder injury that forced him to pull the plug on his career sooner than planned.

It’s a sadly poetic end for Cruz, who, despite his many accomplishments, had his potential career successes reduced by an endless string of layoff and health issues. Still, he is likely to find himself in the UFC Hall of Fame one day, and White thinks it was the right call to stop pushing.

“I’m blown away that he hung in there as long as he did,” White told reporters at Saturday’s UFC 312 post-event news conference. “Who’s been more injured than this guy in his career? It’s fascinating. And the mental drive to just want to keep coming back and trying again and again and again after so many surgeries and so many injuries, you’ve got to give it to him. But I’m glad that he finally hung it up.”

Set to turn 40 on March 9, retirement was the inevitable conclusion for Cruz. He didn’t get the send-off fight he wanted, but already has a post-career infrastructure in place with his position as a UFC commentator, analyst and coach at the UFC Performance Institute in Mexico.

“When you have the type of experience and type of career he’s had, and you can sit in the booth and talk fights, it’s awesome,” White said. “He’ll have a great career after his career.”

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Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz announces retirement after latest injury

The first-ever UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is calling it a career after his latest injuries.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] is calling it a career.

After an injury forced him out of UFC Fight Night 252, Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) announced his retirement Thursday in a lengthy, heartfelt post on social media.

“I gave everything I had and put it into preparation and training for this fight —focusing on my cardio and my body for the past year,” Cruz wrote. “But sometimes, the body just doesn’t cooperate.

Cruz, 39, had not competed since August 2022 when he took a Feb. 22 bout vs. Rob Font, which he indicated would be his final bout.

Despite his legendary and likely sure-thing Hall of Famer status, Cruz only competed 10 times for the UFC. Cruz’s dominance in the bantamweight division preceded his UFC run. He was imported with the weight class into the UFC after winning WEC gold and defending the title twice.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFv-MbRyeFA/?img_index=1

The inaugural UFC bantamweight champion, Cruz defended his title successfully against Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson before he was forced to vacate due to a groin tear. Later that year, he tore his ACL. It was the second time he sustained that injury.

Three years after the Johnson win and after multiple surgeries, Cruz returned and starched Takeya Mizugaki in 61 seconds. In January 2016, he won the title for the second time when he defeated T.J. Dillashaw by split decision.

Cruz defeated Faber again before he eventually lost the title to Cody Garbrandt. After nearly four years off from competition, Cruz returned to challenge Henry Cejudo for the title in 2020. Cejudo won by TKO, despite Cruz’s protest of referee Keith Peterson’s stoppage.

After back-to-back wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz, Cruz was knocked out by a Marlon Vera head kick. The fight would end up being his final one.

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Dominick Cruz reportedly injured, out of UFC Fight Night 252 fight against Rob Font

Former UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz will not be making his return to action in Seattle.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag]’s return to action has been delayed.

The former UFC bantamweight champion is out of his scheduled main card fight against [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 252 in Seattle. The event takes place Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena and is headlined by another 135-pound matchup between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.

MMA Junkie confirmed the news of Cruz’s withdrawal with two sources following a first report of an injury from Cageside Press.

Details of the injury to Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) were not revealed. The fight would have been the 39-year-old’s first in over 30 months. The last appearance for the well-respected former champ and UFC commentator was against Marlon Vera at UFC on ESPN 41 in August 2022, a bout he lost by knockout in the fourth round.

The UFC is currently seeking a replacement so that Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) can remain on the card. Font, 37, was last in action in October, when he picked up a unanimous decision over Kyler Phillips to snap a two-fight skid.

With the news, the current UFC Fight Night 252 lineup includes:

Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Jean Silva
Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez
Rob Font vs. opponent TBA
Adam Fugitt vs. Billy Ray Goff
Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Ibo Aslan vs. Ion Cutelaba
Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira
Chidi Njokuani vs. opponent TBA
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Nick Klein
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Rafael Cerqueira\
Javid Basharat vs. Ricky Simon

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Dominick Cruz vs. Rob Font: Odds and what to know ahead of UFC Fight Night 252 co-main event

Rob Font enters UFC Seattle as a favorite over former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.

[autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag] will return to action for the first time since 2022 to face [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag].

Dominick Cruz vs. Rob Font preview

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was last in action Aug. 13, 2022, against Marlon “Chito” Vera in the main event of UFC on ESPN 41. Cruz was knocked out in the fourth round, a result that halted the momentum of back-to-back wins over Casey Kenney and Pedro Munhoz in 2021. … Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) has made four appearances since Cruz’s last fight. Over that time, Font has gone 2-2; a first-round stoppage of Adrian Yanez, decision losses to Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo, and most recently, a unanimous decision win over Kyler Phillips in October.

Dominick Cruz vs. Rob Font odds

According to DraftKings, former bantamweight champion Cruz has opened up as a slight +160 underdog against fellow veteran Font, who’s listed as a -192 favorite.

How to watch Dominick Cruz vs. Rob Font at UFC Fight Night 252

When: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025
Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
Broadcast/streaming: ESPN+

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

Rob Font expects vintage Dominick Cruz – like WEC era – in UFC retirement fight

Rob Font has been around the block a few times. He won’t likely be surprised when he fights Dominick Cruz.

[autotag]Rob Font[/autotag] has been around the block a few times over 15 years in the MMA game.

As such, he’s run into all manner of opponents in his career: Fighters on their way up, fighters still trying to find their footing and even ones who presume to be on their way out. Next month, he has a meeting with one who has said he’ll done for sure afterward: [autotag]Dominick Cruz[/autotag].

Font (21-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC) and Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will meet Feb. 22 in the UFC Fight Night 252 co-main event at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Cruz, 39, has said it will be his UFC retirement fight after two years on the sidelines.

But Font isn’t expecting a lesser version of the former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion. In fact, he’s willing to throw his expectations of Cruz’s fight shape back more than a dozen years.

“I’m not banking on his age to get me through this fight,” Font recently told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m expecting the WEC Cruz to come out there trying to take my head off. I do believe this is going to be one of the toughest fights I’ve been in for a while.”

Font said he trained with Cruz for a couple sessions in 2024 while in Las Vegas for teammate Calvin Kattar’s fight at UFC 300. Mutual coaching friends hooked it up before a Font-Cruz matchup was a reality. As such, Font said it wasn’t a potential booking that was on his radar.

But what Cruz was able to show him in a brief amount of time, though, had Font’s wheels turning about what he might be able to bring to the table if given longer opportunities.

“He’s a smart dude. I’ve trained with him before, and I can tell you he’s smart,” Font said. “He was ahead of the game, most of the time, with his style. He’s always studying the game. He’s watching fights every weekend. He’s studying for his job and all that. So it’s not like I’m fighting some dude that’s stuck in 2009. He’s up to date with everything. This is going to be one of those types of fights that I’ve got to mature up and level up everywhere just to make sure I get this ‘W.’

“I would love to get in there, get my hand raised, have a beer with him, wait a couple of weeks and then go back to training with him. … I have nothing but respect for him.”

Check out Font’s full interview in the video above.

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