D. Cruz hasn't fought since December 2016. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @dominickcruz
After confirmation that the Ibirapuera Gymnasium (São Paulo) will be used as a care center for victims of coronavirus (COVID-19), the possibility of UFC 250, scheduled for May 9, to be removed from Brazil gained more strength. The show, then, must be transferred to the United States and, thinking about the possibility of José Aldo not being able to travel to the new location, Dominick Cruz has already expressed interest in replacing Manauara in the fight for the bantamweight title (up to 61,2kg.) against Henry Cejudo.
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“Now, he (Dana White) is saying that (José) Aldo may not be fit to fight. (Petr) Yan may not be fit, and now the MMA world may know that this fight is a real possibility. These are real situations, and, since they can't happen, they open up a space for me to get in there. I would always take a title fight. And realistically, with Aldo and Yan out, and this opportunity coming up, why wouldn't I take it? This is what I have been asking for for a long time,” said Cruz, in an interview with 'ESPN'.
Ultimate has not yet officially announced the fate of the UFC 250. So far, the Brazilian remains confirmed as a challenger for Cejudo's belt. However, last week, the American published a direct challenge to Dominick on his social networks, asking the athlete to prepare for a possible replacement.
Last Tuesday (7), the 'New York Times' announced that UFC management had rented a resort on an indigenous reservation and stated that Ultimate will take the next cards to the location.
The information has not yet been confirmed by the organization, however, it is possible that the space, which is located in California (USA) will, in fact, be the headquarters for MMA shows until the situation related to the pandemic is controlled.
Cruz has not played for Ultimate since losing the division title to cody garbrandt, in 2016. Due to inactivity in the organization, today, the combatant does not even appear in the official ranking of the category.
In addition to the bantamweight title fight, the champion Amanda nunes is scheduled to make her first defense of the featherweight title (up to 65,7kg.). The Bahian woman, to date, has a commitment against Felicia spencer and seeks to keep one of his two belts in the organization.
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