As he prepares to compete yet again in the division he once ruled, a look at Dominick Cruz’s case to be called the greatest bantamweight of all time.
The “Dominator,” who faces rising contender Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC on ESPN 41 on Saturday in San Diego, has clearly slipped somewhat from his peak form as a former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting thanks to a litany of injuries acquired across a decade and a half of competing at the highest level. That is not to say the 36-year-old is washed up by any stretch, as evidenced his back-to-back wins over Pedro Munhoz and Casey Kenney that have kept him in the rankings coming into this weekend, but it seems fair to begin putting his accomplishments in historical perspective, regardless of whether he manages to add to his impressive résumé with a win over Vera.