Dominick Cruz forced out of UFC Seattle retirement fight due to injury

Dominick Cruz might not get his retirement fight after all. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

UFC Seattle has lost its original co-main event between former two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Rob Font.

Sources confirmed Wednesday to Uncrowned that Cruz has been forced to withdraw from his Feb. 22 fight date due to an injury suffered in training. Cruz told Uncrowned earlier this month that Font was planned to be his retirement fight. A replacement to face Font has yet to be announced; however, the UFC is working to keep Font on the card.

Cageside Press was first to report the news.

Injuries have been a recurring theme in Cruz’s career. After his second UFC title defense against Demetrious Johnson in 2011, he infamously suffered three ACL tears and a quad tear. He returned in 2016 after only one fight in four years and recaptured the title with a split decision over TJ Dillashaw.

Shoulder issues, in particular, have hindered Cruz in the later stages of his career. He told Uncrowned in January that he’s concerned about his quality of life if he continues fighting after his intended swan song.

“I probably could do three or four more [fights], but I don’t know what the state of my shoulder would look like after that,” he said. “Whereas, if I do this one, I still have an arm — I still can throw a baseball, I can still live life. I can go snowboarding if I want, I can climb a ladder. Basics. I want to be able to have my life and my body when this is said and done and not just be in shambles, with no arms, no legs, no back, no neck. I don’t want to be that way.”

Cruz, 39, most recently fought against Marlon “Chito” Vera in UFC San Diego’s main event in August 2022. He lost the bout via a third-round head-kick knockout.

The current UFC Seattle lineup can be seen below.