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For a great fighter so well associated with his hometown, it’s a little strange that Dominick Cruz’s homecoming on Saturday in San Diego will be the first time he has fought there in over 13 years. Despite having focused his mixed martial arts training at the famed Alliance MMA gym in Chula Vista, California, the multiple-time world champion has actually fought more recently in his childhood home of Arizona, as he last competed in San Diego at WEC 38 in January 2009.
That World Extreme Cagefighting card was so long ago that 15 of the other 19 fighters on the bill are now retired, most having been for many years. At the time, Cruz was largely unfamiliar to the masses, with his most well-known fight a quick submission loss to Urijah Faber. I covered the show live from San Diego and barely remember Cruz’s performance. The unique finish to the main event, with Jamie Varner being unable to continue following an illegal knee, was the most distinctive happening; the local hero to the crowd was Faber, despite the eight-hour drive from the then-San Diego Sports Arena to his home city of Sacramento, California.
The Faber example speaks to why Cruz hasn’t often been put forward as the local favorite. While his career rival was ebullient, outgoing and charismatic, Cruz has always been cerebral and introverted. Inside the cage, Cruz wasn’t the flashiest of competitors, either. Not blessed with natural finishing power, Cruz relied on impeccable, cutting-edge technique. There has always been a lot to like about Cruz; it’s just that it has often taken longer for fans to figure that out. Careful preparation and dedication to the craft don’t tend to jump out as much as a warm smile or a concussive hook.
The sad irony? Just as Cruz appeared to be turning the corner on that front, his career was thrown a set of physical obstacles few fighters, if any, have dealt with and managed to come back from in a major way. His win over Demetrious Johnson in hindsight was probably the best of his career, a competitive but clear triumph over an all-time great at the peak of his powers that sent “Mighty Mouse” to a different division for the remainder of his career. It looked like Cruz had years of excellence ahead of him. Instead, the next decade would be a seemingly interminable battle with injuries.
While Cruz’s fight resume isn’t as impressive as it would have been had those injuries not come, in some ways the injuries only led to an enhanced reputation. Fans got to hear him on commentary as one of the most astute observers of the fight game. They got to see his mettle and determination, resolutely refusing to give up on his career even as the injuries kept piling up. The cockiness that was clear in the early part of his career also appeared to diminish as he gained perspective from life’s challenges, not to say the self-assuredness completely went away.
Perhaps most impressive were the accomplishments he managed to accrue against opponents who could just focus on getting better rather than continually have to rebuild and refortify the body. He may have only been able to get in seven fights in the decade following the Johnson fight, but he made those count, winning back the bantamweight title and beating some of his division’s best. He has done so even as many have counted him out. Once the regular favorite, he will enter his UFC on ESPN 41 as the betting underdog for the fourth straight time. He’ll be looking to go 3-1 over that span.
Cruz now returns to fight in his hometown, so much having changed since his WEC days. His opponent, Marlon Vera, is no soft touch. The Ecuadorian arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with limited experience training or fighting with high-level fighters, part of the UFC’s initiative to cultivate MMA in different parts of the world. It was a rough transition at first, but he made major strides as he rose through the ranks and has proven himself a top contender in recent bouts. He’s younger than Cruz, and he’s hungry. Some damn good fighters have made a mistake not taking “Chito” seriously enough.
Cruz would certainly prefer to win rather than to lose, as ultra-competitors tend not to lose that drive with age, but his legacy is strong regardless of what happens against Vera. What’s more notable about the fight is Cruz’s homecoming. It will be a chance for so many of those closest to Cruz to celebrate his career. If that had happened earlier, or more frequently, or if it came easier, it wouldn’t be as meaningful now. This promises to be a celebration of that journey and a well-deserved curtain call.