It is impossible to look at the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship men’s bantamweight title without an understanding and appreciation of Dominick Cruz’s history of injuries; for the first six years of the division’s existence, Cruz was a recurring apparition, alternating between dominance and disappearance but always looming over the proceedings.
With the possible exception of Cain Velasquez, no champion has missed more of the prime of his career with injuries than Cruz, and with all due respect to Velasquez, Cruz was the more dominant of the two. Until his loss to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207, nobody had beaten a healthy Cruz in nearly a decade, and frankly, only T.