Injury forces two-time champion out of retirement fight at UFC Seattle

"The Dominator" last stepped into the Octagon in 2022.

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

A future UFC Hall of Famer that’s been plagued by injuries throughout his career has been forced out of a planned retirement fight at UFC Seattle.

Dominick Cruz Pulls Out Of UFC Seattle

Scheduled to take place on February 22, UFC Seattle is headlined by a huge bantamweight matchup between Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC Champion Henry Cejudo taking on #8-ranked contender Song Yadong.

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Henry Cejudo moves in against Merab Dvalishvili during UFC 298 at Honda Center. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The stacked UFC Fight Night card boasts a number of other ranked fighters and some pivotal matchups, but the card’s planned co-main event featuring Dominick Cruz and Rob Font has reportedly fallen through after Cruz sustained an injury.

Dominick Cruz fights against Marlon Vera during a UFC Fight Night at Pechanga Arena. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

First reported by Cageside Press, the news that “The Dominator” has withdrawn from UFC Seattle is just the latest setback that the former two-time bantamweight champion has faced in a career that’s been hampered by significant injury layoffs.

"The Dominator" Hasn't Fought Since 2022

Cruz became the UFC’s inaugural bantamweight champion after the promotion officially absorbed the WEC roster in 2011, and although the 39-year-old ended up having two separate title reigns under the UFC banner he also lost more than six years of his career to various health issues.

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Dominick Cruz celebrates his win over TJ Dillashaw in a world bantamweight championship bout. / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

“The Dominator” already announced that the matchup with Font at UFC Seattle would be his retirement fight, and now it remains to be seen how serious Cruz’s injury is and if he’ll be able to reschedule his final outing for an event in the near future.

Marlon Vera fights against Dominick Cruz during a UFC Fight Night at Pechanga Arena. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The loss of Cruz vs. Font is a significant blow to UFC Seattle, but the Fight Night card is still stacked with big names and is sure to provide a memorable night of action for combat sports fans on February 22.

UFC Seattle

• Main Event: Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong

• Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez

• Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia

• Jean Silva vs. Melsik Baghdasaryan

• Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev

• Ketlen Viera vs. Macy Chiasson

• Ion Cutelaba vs. Ibo Aslan

• Modestas Bukasukas vs. Raffael Cerqueira

• Ricky Simon vs. Javid Basharat

• Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa

• Nick Klein vs. Mansue Adbul-Malik

• Adam Fugitt vs. Billy Ray Goff

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