Dominick Cruz
| Dominick Cruz | |
|---|---|
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| Born |
Dominick Cruz |
| Other names | The Dominator |
| Residence | San Diego, California |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | Bantamweight (2008-present) Featherweight (2006-2008) Lightweight (2005-2006) |
| Reach | 68.0 in (173 cm) |
| Style | Wrestling, Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | San Diego, California |
| Team | Alliance MMA Team Lloyd Irvin |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 20 |
| Wins | 19 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 1 |
| By decision | 12 |
| Losses | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Website | http://www.dominickcruz.com |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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Dominick Rojelio Cruz[1] (born September 3, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist who competes as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion. As of November 2011, Cruz is ranked the #1 bantamweight and #8 pound-for-pound fighter in the world by Sherdog.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
Cruz began his professional MMA career fighting in the Rage in a Cage and Total Combat organizations.
[edit] World Extreme Cagefighting
His first fight in the WEC was at featherweight in a title fight against Urijah Faber in which he lost by guillotine choke in the first round. He would then make his debut for WEC's 135 lb Bantamweight division at WEC 34 defeating Charlie Valencia by unanimous decision and would go on to show domination of the 135 lb Bantamweight division beating the likes of Ian McCall, Ivan Lopez and handing top contender Joseph Benavidez his first loss at WEC 42 winning all bouts by unanimous decision and winning fight of the night honors in his bout versus Benavidez.
Cruz defeated Brian Bowles via TKO (doctor stoppage) on March, 6, 2010 at WEC 47. Bowles was unable to continue after the second round after breaking his hand. Cruz became the new WEC Bantamweight Champion.[3]
Cruz made his first title defense against Joseph Benavidez on August 18, 2010 at WEC 50.[4] The bout was a rematch of their contest at WEC 42, in which Cruz handed Benavidez his first career loss, via decision. Cruz defeated Benavidez again via split decision. It was announced on the same night that Scott Jorgensen would be next in line for a title shot against Cruz.
Cruz faced Jorgensen on on December 16, 2010 at WEC 53.[5] The bout marked the last Bantamweight fight, and the last Bantamweight Championship fight under the WEC banner. The title held by Cruz was officially recognized as the UFC Bantamweight Championship after the event due to the UFC/WEC merger. Cruz defeated Jorgensen via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45), to retain the WEC Bantamweight Championship and win the UFC Bantamweight Championship.[6]
[edit] Ultimate Fighting Championship
On October 28, 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.[7]
A rematch with Urijah Faber took place on July 2, 2011 at UFC 132 being the first defense of the new UFC Bantamweight title.[8] In a closely contested fight which saw Faber drop Cruz multiple, multiple times with strikes and Cruz landing multiple leg\body kicks, knees and takedowns, Cruz defeated Faber via unanimous decision to retain his championship and avenge the only loss on his record.[9][10] Following the bout, Cruz was awarded his blue belt under Lloyd Irvin, Jr.
Cruz defeated Demetrious Johnson via unanimous decision on October 1, 2011 at UFC on Versus 6, his second UFC title defense. Cruz is expected to face Urijah Faber for a third time for the UFC bantamweight championship after Faber defeated Brian Bowles at UFC 139 in a bantamweight title eliminator bout.[11]
Cruz has been scheduled to coach the The Ultimate Fighter 15 for welterweights and lightweights against opposing coach Urijah Faber.[12] With Cruz/Faber III expected to take place on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148.[13]
[edit] Personal life
Cruz's father is of Mexican descent and his mother is caucasian.[14] Cruz lived with his mother and brother in Tucson, Arizona until he was kicked out at the age of 19 for hosting a house party. He worked as a customer service representative and was studying to be a firefighter at a community college before becoming a full-time fighter.[15]
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] Mixed Martial Arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Bantamweight Championship (One time; First; Current)
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- 2011 Import of the Year [1]
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- WEC Bantamweight Championship (One time; Last)
- Fight of the Night (Two times)
- Total Combat
- Total Combat Featherweight Championship (One time)
- Total Combat Lightweight Championship (One time)
- ESPN
- 2011 Fight of the Month vs. Urijah Faber on July 2
- USA Today
- 2010 Fighter of the Year
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 20 matches | 19 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 1 | 1 |
| By decision | 12 | 0 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19-1 | Demetrious Johnson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Live: Cruz vs. Johnson | October 1, 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Washington D.C., United States | Defended UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 18–1 | Urijah Faber | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 132 | July 2, 2011 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended UFC Bantamweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 17–1 | Scott Jorgensen | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 53 | December 16, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | Defended WEC Bantamweight Championship; won inaugural UFC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 16–1 | Joseph Benavidez | Decision (split) | WEC 50 | August 18, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Defended WEC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 15–1 | Brian Bowles | TKO (doctor stoppage) | WEC 47 | March 6, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Columbus, Ohio, United States | Won WEC Bantamweight Championship. |
| Win | 14–1 | Joseph Benavidez | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 42 | August 9, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 13–1 | Iván López | Technical Decision (unanimous) | WEC 40 | April 5, 2009 | 3 | 3:24 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Technical decision due to an unintentional knee on the ground by Cruz. |
| Win | 12–1 | Ian McCall | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 38 | January 25, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 11–1 | Charlie Valencia | Decision (unanimous) | WEC 34 | June 1, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, United States | Bantamweight Debut. |
| Win | 10–1 | Kenneth Aimes | TKO (punches) | Total Combat 27 | March 22, 2008 | 1 | N/A | Yuma, Arizona, United States | |
| Loss | 9–1 | Urijah Faber | Submission (guillotine choke) | WEC 26 | March 24, 2007 | 1 | 1:38 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | For WEC Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | Shad Smith | Decision (unanimous) | TC 18: Nightmare | November 4, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | Featherweight Debut; Won vacant Total Combat Featherweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Juan Miranda | Submission (rear naked choke) | TC 16: Annihilation | September 9, 2006 | 1 | 4:00 | San Diego, California, United States | Won vacant Total Combat Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Dave Hisquierdo | Decision (split) | Total Combat 15 | July 15, 2006 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Michael Barney | TKO (punches) | RITC 79: The Rage Returns | February 24, 2006 | 1 | 2:45 | Tucson, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Nick Hedrick | Decision (unanimous) | RITC 75: Friday Night Fights | September 30, 2005 | 3 | 3:00 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Josh Donahue | TKO (punches) | RITC 74: In Your Face | September 10, 2005 | 2 | 1:09 | Casa Grande, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Tom Schwager | TKO (punches) | RITC 73: Arizona vs Nevada | August 6, 2005 | 1 | 0:56 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Rosco McClellan | TKO (punches) | Rage in the Cage 70 | June 11, 2005 | 2 | 1:26 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Eddie Castro | Decision (split) | RITC 67: Back to the Dodge | January 29, 2005 | 3 | 3:00 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States |
[edit] References
- ^ http://boxing.nv.gov/2011%20Results%20Web/07-02-11%20MMA.pdf
- ^ "Sherdog Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings". Sherdog.com. October 11, 2011. http://www.sherdog.com/news/rankings/8/Sherdog-Official-Mixed-Martial-Arts-Rankings-36368.
- ^ "Brian Bowles defends bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at WEC 47 on March 6". mmajunkie.com. 2009-12-11. http://mmajunkie.com/news/17180/brian-bowles-defends-bantamweight-title-against-dominick-cruz-at-wec-47-on-march-6.mma.
- ^ "Cruz vs Benavidez For The Title In August". MMAweekly.com. 2010-06-08. http://mmaweekly.com/cruz-vs-benavidez-for-the-title-in-august-2.
- ^ "WEC 53 title doubleheader features Henderson vs. Pettis, Cruz vs. Jorgensen". mmajunkie.com. 2010-09-27. http://mmajunkie.com/news/20809/wec-53-title-doubleheader-features-henderson-vs-pettis-cruz-vs-jorgensen.mma.
- ^ http://mmajunkie.com/news/21775/wec-53-play-by-play-and-live-results.mma
- ^ "UFC and WEC set to merge in 2011; events to air on Versus and Spike TV". mmajunkie.com. October 28, 2010. http://mmajunkie.com/news/21189/ufc-and-wec-set-to-merge-in-2011-events-to-air-on-versus-and-spike-tv.mma.
- ^ "Champ Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber II booked for UFC 132". mmajunkie.com. 2011-03-26. http://mmajunkie.com/news/23003/champ-dominick-cruz-vs-urijah-faber-ii-booked-for-ufc-132.mma.
- ^ "UFC 132 Play-by-Play: Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber". MMAweekly.com. 2011-06-30. http://mmaweekly.com/ufc-132-play-by-play-dominick-cruz-vs-urijah-faber.
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/news?slug=ki-ufc132_cruz_beats_faber_070211
- ^ Cofield, Steve (October 1, 2011). "Cruz digs deep to retain his 135-pound title at UFC on Versus 6". Yahoo!. http://m.yahoo.com/w/sports/home/blogs/article?offset=1&urn=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Cyhoo%3A20050301%3Amma%2Carticle%2Cyhoo-ept_sports_mma_experts-wp7641%3A1&.ts=1317527334&.ysid=gZuwQHjNeYxWMs4wNaY27VuF&.intl=US&.lang=en. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
- ^ http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news/369530/Faber-Cruz-to-coach-The-Ultimate-Fighter-Season-15/
- ^ "Champ Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber III targeted for UFC 148 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. February 10, 2012. http://mmajunkie.com/news/27367/champ-dominick-cruz-vs-urijah-faber-iii-targeted-for-ufc-148-in-las-vegas.mma.
- ^ http://www.fightmagazine.com/mma-magazine/mma-article.asp?aid=587&issid=40 5 Minutes With Dominick Cruz
- ^ http://www.ufc.com/fighter/Dominick-Cruz
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Brian Bowles |
5th WEC Bantamweight Champion March 6, 2010 - December 16, 2010 |
Incumbent |
| Vacant
Title last held by
First Champion |
1st UFC Bantamweight Champion December 16, 2010 - Present |
Current holder |
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