UFC CEO Dana White has revealed he’s thankful that one of the promotion’s legendary former champions has hung up the gloves.
MMA fighters, in particular, often stretch their careers to the limits. Some great champions like Anderson Silva, BJ Penn, or Tony Ferguson (interim) endured massive losing streaks in the twilight years of their careers and never recovered as they chased one last win to end everything on a high note.
In the case of two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, injuries kept him out of the fight game. ‘The Dominator’ mounted an all-time great comeback against TJ Dillashaw in 2016, but his entire UFC career was littered with injuries. Cruz decided to call it retirement after more injuries kept him from his last dance at UFC Seattle.
Dana White is grateful for the news.
UFC CEO Dana White breaks silence on Dominick Cruz’s retirement
Speaking at the UFC 312 post-event presser, White explained how he was “glad” Cruz retired from MMA.
“He’ll have a great career after his [fighting] career,” Dana White said. “I’m blown away that he hung in there as long as he did. I mean, who’s been more injured than this guy? … I’m glad that he finally hung it up.”
As a member of the UFC commentary team, Cruz should stay close to the Octagon, even if he’s not fighting in it.
More legendary fighter retirements are due in 2025
2024-2025 have been cornerstone years for the UFC, and plenty of fan-favorite fighters have met their demise in the Octagon. Once untouchable fighters like Kamaru Usman, Alexander Volkanovski, and Israel Adesanya are riding losing streaks in 2025, it’s entirely possible more losses could write them off.
In addition to this, fan-favorite Alex Pereira is fast approaching 40; Max Holloway was knocked out at UFC 308, and Jon Jones could be retired already if he isn’t fighting Tom Aspinall later this year. Dustin Poirier is hinting at a retirement fight, too.