Dominick Cruz Retires After Seattle Bout Falls
Dominick Cruz announced his retirement on Feb. 6, 2025, after a second separated shoulder in eight months forced him out of his planned bout with Rob Font in Seattle. The official retirement report said Cruz had been preparing for one more fight before the injury ended that plan.
Why the Seattle Bout Fell Through
Cruz was scheduled to meet Font at Climate Pledge Arena on Feb. 22. After Cruz withdrew, Jean Matsumoto stepped in to face Font, who won by split decision. The promotion’s late card update and official event results confirm the replacement and outcome.
A Career Defined by Comebacks
Cruz ended his fighting career with a 24-4 record. He won the WEC bantamweight title and defended it twice, then held the UFC bantamweight championship during two reigns with three successful defenses in total, according to the official retirement report. His planned Seattle appearance would have been his first fight since August 2022.
The WEC portion of his championship career led directly into the UFC era. His victory over Scott Jorgensen at the final WEC event made him the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion. That transition gave Cruz a distinctive place in the division’s history, linking its championship lineage across the two organizations.
His long rivalry with Urijah Faber was another central part of that story. Cruz lost their first meeting at featherweight but later won both bantamweight rematches. Those subsequent victories became important chapters in his championship résumé rather than simply a continuation of the original result.
Retirement meant the planned Font contest never became a final competitive appearance. Cruz’s last recorded fight remained his August 2022 loss to Marlon Vera. The announcement therefore closed a career shaped by title victories, extended absences and returns to contention, even though his intended farewell inside the cage could not take place.
Additional sources: Sherdog’s retirement retrospective; UFC career retrospective.
