Report: Renan Barao Says Dominick Cruz Could be Back Early 2014
By FCF Staff
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been without the services of Dominick Cruz since October, 2011, and according to interim champ Renan Barao, over two years will have gone by before the champion fights again.
Cruz attended the August 3rd, UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro, and Barao recently told MMA Fighting.com that he briefly spoke with the fighter. According to Barao, Cruz relayed that he’s hoping to fight again in February, which was news that the Brazilian was “happy” to hear. Barao, who has won five straight bouts since entering the UFC, is set to fight Eddie Wineland on September 21st at UFC 165.
Cruz, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since October, 2011, when he scored a unanimous decision win over Demetrious Johnson. The champion has undergone two knee surgeries since the bout. UFC President Dana White has said, however, that the fighter won’t be stripped of the title unless a third setback occurs.
The “Dominator” has gone 2-0 in the Octagon, after moving over from the WEC in 2011, where he went 7-1.