Dominick Cruz suffered a defeat at UFC on ESPN 41, but Henry Cejudo does not believe that the defeat warrants a retirement announcement from Cruz.
Cruz (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) was knocked out in Round 4 of their fight this past Saturday at Pechanga Arena in San Diego by a head-kick delivered by Marlon Vera. This was Cruz’s third loss in his last five fights.
When Cejudo won a TKO victory against Cruz in their title fight at UFC 249 in May 2020, he became the first man to stop Cruz via strikes. Cejudo has a record of 16-2 in MMA and 10-2 in the UFC. However, despite the fact that the former champion has had a string of less than stellar performances recently, Cejudo and the judges had him winning the bout before it was stopped.
“What can I say about Dominick? I thought he looked good,” Cejudo posted on social media. “I don’t think he should retire. I think there’s the fight with Frankie Edgar. I think there’s Jose Aldo. I think there’s a legendary fight. So, Dominick, I thought you looked good. I thought you were winning the fight. So, I wouldn’t retire, man. As much as I don’t compliment you, I think there’s still a lot in you.”
After suffering a knockout loss to “Chito,” Cruz issued a positive statement, but he did not explicitly address his plans for the future of his fighting career. On September 10, he will make his next appearance as a commentator at UFC 279.
