'I was shocked'… Dominick Cruz reveals old UFC rival reached out following MMA retirement
02/18/2025 04:44 AM
The former bantamweight king wasn’t expecting to hear from a former opponent of his.
Dominick Cruz may have battled injuries for the majority of his career but that didn’t stop him from leaving behind a great legacy.
‘The Dominator’ helped to put the smaller weight classes on the map during the WEC days before coming over to the UFC where he held the bantamweight title on two occasions.
Whilst his skill was undeniable, Cruz was always a divisive personality who could easily rub fans and his fellow fighters up the wrong way.
The 39-year-old had some great rivals during his time at the top and he didn’t expect some grudges to be buried just because he recently announced his retirement.
Dominick Cruz reveals message from TJ Dillashaw after his retirement
Dominick Cruz was gearing up for one last dance against Rob Font in Seattle this Saturday until an injury forced him to retire slightly earlier than he originally planned.
Understandably, he received some great tributes to his career from the MMA world but during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, he said that one message caught him off guard.
Cruz’s proudest and most gratifying achievement was when he returned to the Octagon in 2016 and proved that ring rust wasn’t a universal rule.
Despite not competing since September of 2014, he went right into a title fight against the reigning champion, TJ Dillashaw, and emerged with the 135-pound title.
There was already a rival between them after the fight came down to a contentious split decision, the beef wasn’t entirely settled.
Whatever tension previously existed between them has now been put in the past after Cruz revealed that his former rival had sent him a positive message.
"I've gotten a few notes from some big names. One of the ones that stood out to me was T.J. Dillashaw, he actually reached out to me. I was shocked. He gave me a recommendation for a shoulder doctor, and he said he was looking forward to watching me compete and was sorry I couldn't."
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Dominick Cruz has put a lot of feuds behind him
Dominick Cruz has not always got on with other fighters but at the end of the day, it’s only because of how competitive he is and that’s what made him great in the first place.
‘The Dominator’ was also able to put his previous rivalry with Urijah Faber behind him after Cruz clashed with Team Alpha Male for the majority of his career.
With Dillashaw also suffering substantial injuries which cut his career short, it makes sense why the former opponents would put the past behind them.
It probably won’t stop Cruz from gloating about his win from time to time but you can’t expect the man to completely change just because he’s no longer an active fighter.
