UFC champ Cruz faces return deadline
Slowly but surely, an anniversary that Dominick Cruz has no intention of celebrating nears. On Oct. 1, it will have been two years since he last competed. The fight world was so different then. The UFC had yet to begin its groundbreaking deal on FOX. Women and flyweights had never graced the octagon. Frankie Edgar was still the lightweight champ. It’s been so long that during that time, welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre tore his ACL, rehabbed it, returned to fight and win twice, and is a couple of months away from his next fight.
It’s been a long, stressful period, and until now, the UFC has waited patiently for his return, refusing to strip him of the bantamweight belt. It appears, however, that a deadline nears. Next week at UFC 165, interim titleholder Renan Barao will attempt a second defense, taking on Eddie Wineland in the night’s co-main event. And while you can understand the UFC’s loyalty to Cruz, at some point it becomes unfair for Barao to continue to defend the backup belt, or for the division to be held up by his specter.
While Cruz (19-1) continues to rehab with hopes of returning, the rest of the 135-pounders move forward, and if he cannot soon join them, it appears they will leave him behind.
“I hope this is the last time it’ll be an interim title fight,” UFC president Dana White said on Tuesday. “We’re expecting his return at the beginning of [next] year. And if he can’t return at the beginning of the year, then we’re going to have to make a decision.”
The words didn’t leave White’s mouth with the same machine-gun fervor as some of his other proclamations. They also were not nearly as concise as he tends to be in specifying what he likely meant: that the 28-year-old Cruz would be stripped of the championship he worked so hard to earn and defend four times. White has made no secret of the fact that he likes Cruz, a company man who has earned a role as an insightful analyst, so this is not a decision he will make lightly.
At least there is some hope for optimism. Cruz has had no reported setbacks recently.
“He came here a few weeks ago and had lunch with me and [UFC CEO] Lorenzo [Fertitta],” White said. “He was very confident he’d be ready to go at the beginning of the year.”
Cruz first won the belt in March 2010 when Brian Bowles injured his hand in the second round of their fight and couldn’t continue. He solidified his reign with more decisive wins over names like Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgenson, Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson, but the last of those was 711 days ago and counting.
While an anniversary nears, it’s a future date that is of more concern for Cruz. If the start of 2014 comes and goes without him, the division is likely to move on without him, too.
