- published: 24 Jan 2016
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Dominick Rojelio Cruz (born March 9, 1985 in San Diego, CA) is an American mixed martial artist. He fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and is the current UFC Bantamweight Champion. Cruz was also the final bantamweight titleholder of World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).
Known as one of the fastest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA), Cruz is noted for agile movement, quick striking, and his tendency to attack from angles. He won the WEC bantamweight title in March 2010, and won the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Championship the following December. After defending the belt twice in 2011, Cruz was sidelined by injuries in 2012, and stripped of the title in 2014. On January 17, 2016, he regained the bantamweight championship with a split-decision win over T.J. Dillashaw. Numerous media outlets called this victory the greatest comeback story in MMA history.
In addition to fighting, Cruz is an MMA analyst for Fox Sports.
Cruz competed in amateur wrestling while attending junior high school in Tucson, Arizona. He began his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career in 2005, competing in the Rage in the Cage and Total Combat organizations. He amassed a record of 9-0 before joining World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).