Dominick Cruz Forced Out of UFC Seattle Due to Injury

Dominick Cruz is out of the UFC Seattle co-main event due to an injury.

Cruz was expected to hang up his gloves after a matchup against Rob Font at UFC Fight Night 252 on Feb. 22 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. However, Cageside Press was first to report that “The Dominator” has been forced out of the booking due to an unspecified injury. It is currently unknown whether Cruz will step inside the Octagon again before retiring. Multiple outlets have since confirmed Cruz’s exit from the card.

Cruz’s legendary career saw him win the UFC bantamweight title on two separate occasions. Cruz won 13 consecutive fights from 2008 to 2016 before losing to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207, after which he never found the same momentum. Cruz returned to action after a hiatus of over three years and suffered a stoppage loss against Henry Cejudo at UFC 249. Cruz rebounded with a two-fight win streak, which was snapped by a knockout loss against Marlon Vera in 2022 and has been out of action since.

UFC Seattle is headlined by a bantamweight clash between Henry Cejudo and Yadong Song. The promotion is reportedly seeking a replacement opponent for Font in the co-headliner.