Dana White justifies Dominick Cruz's title shot: 'He's still one of the best'

Cruz (photo) is praised by Dana White (Photo: Reproduction/Twitter/UFCBrasil

Ultimate surprised the world when it called Dominick Cruz to replace José Aldo and face Henry Cejudo in the fight for the bantamweight belt (up to 61.2 kg.) on May 9th. The Brazilian was prevented from traveling to the USA because he had an expired work visa, and in his place the organization called up the 'Dominator', who hasn't fought since 2016.

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Despite the long downtime due to various injuries, franchise president Dana White made a point of praising Cruz, who has a record of 22 wins and just two losses.

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“He is still one of the best in the world. He's a guy who has been incredibly plagued by injuries throughout his career, but is still considered one of the best in the world," White said in an interview with ESPN in the US.

The UFC boss also spoke about Cejudo's excitement to defend the title, even if his rival doesn't have a fight streak.

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“For a guy like Henry Cejudo, who is literally willing to fight anyone, and wants to fight the best, you want José Aldo, Dominick Cruz and all the guys at that level on your resume”, concluded Dana.

UFC 249

O UFC 249 It was scheduled to take place on April 18th, but with the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization was forced to cancel the attraction. Now, the show has been rescheduled for May 9th, in Jacksonville, Florida (USA). The date was reserved for the UFC 250, in Sao Paulo. However, as the Ibirapuera Gymnasium, the place where the event would be held, was transformed into a field hospital, Ultimate took the card to the United States. Check out the fight program below UFC 249

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