Ultimate Fighting Championship great Dominick
Cruz had a major impact on the development of MMA and fighter
talent around the world.
News of Cruz’ retirement came Thursday courtesy of
his announcement, shortly following the
release that he had sustained injuries that ejected him a
retirement bout with Rob Font.
Instead of getting back on the mend, the 39-year-old decided it was
time to move on. The Alliance MMA fighter serves as a coach and
trainer as well as a commentator and analyst for the UFC.
Advertisement
One of the many fighters Cruz had an impact on was future UFC
beltholder Deiveson
Figueiredo. Formerly a flyweight that captured the belt on more
than one occasion, “Daico” has since moved to the 135-pound
category where Cruz made his mark. The new division breathed life
into the aging Brazilian, winning three straight until encountering
Petr
Yan and coming up short in November. Figueiredo spoke to
Sherdog about Cruz’ retirement, speaking highly of “The Dominator”
and giving credit where credit was due.
“No doubt, he is one of the greatest,” Figueiredo stated. “Not only
for his titles, but for the tools he brought to the game. He
influenced all the generations that came after, and I can speak for
myself that I modeled my [footwork and angles] a lot on his game.
Unfortunately, our body accumulates bruises, and at some point, we
have to stop. I know my time will also come, but I hope I have
three more years ahead before [the end].”
With Cruz no longer eligible to face in the talent-stacked
bantamweight crowd, Figueiredo turns his sights to other foes. Even
though he is coming off a loss, “Deus da Guerra” is focused on
names in the top five. Figueiredo has been recovering from a pubis
inflammation for the past month, and he will soon get back in the
training room.
“I’m returning little by little and still working hard on the
physiotherapy to recover from that [strange injury] and return as
soon as possible, probably against Cory
Sandhagen. I’m just waiting UFC to decide,” Figueiredo
concluded.