Former UFC champion defends Pantoja and criticizes the stoppage: 'It should have been our decision'

Dominick Cruz is a former UFC bantamweight champion. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

The bizarre outcome of the co-main event at UFC 323, which culminated in the end of Alexandre Pantoja 's reign in the flyweight division (up to 56,7 kg), generated a series of reactions throughout the MMA world. Among so many curious points of view, Dominick Cruz , former bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) and current commentator for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, shocked the public by making it clear that he disagreed with the stoppage.

See too

VIDEO: Watch the moment Alexandre Pantoja was injured at UFC 323

New champion! Petr Yan delivers a flawless performance, punishes Merab Dvalishvili and wins the main event of UFC 323.

Watch out, Pantoja! MMA prospect surprises and knocks out former champion Moreno at UFC 323

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Dominator criticized the decision made by referee Herb Dean, who follows the Unified Rules of MMA. In his opinion, Pantoja should have the opportunity to continue competing and find a way to overcome the injury.

“I wish the fight between Van and Pantoja had been allowed to continue. It should be our decision, as fighters, if we want to continue after this. We invest time in training camp for this situation. People dislocate their arm, put it back in place, and keep fighting the whole time,” the former fighter stated.

I wish that Van vs Pantoja fight was aloud to keep going. It should be up to us as the fighter if we want to continue after that. We put the time in the training camp in that situation. People dislocate their arms and put it back in place and keep fighting all the time. #UFC323

— Dominick Cruz (@DominickCruz) December 7, 2025

The post did not garner positive feedback for the former champion. Internet users reacted with irony and outrage in most of the comments, based on the visual impact of the Brazilian's injury, which occurred after Pantoja tried to brace himself to avoid a fall in the opening seconds of the fight.

Pantoja backstage at the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC

Dominick Cruz's career has been severely affected by injuries.

Dominick Cruz has dealt with serious injury problems. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter UFCNews

At 40 years old, Dominick Cruz spent a significant portion of his career recovering from serious injuries, primarily to his knees. Because of this, he experienced hiatuses between 2011 and 2014; 2014 and 2016; and 2016 until 2020. His last fight was in August 2022, when he was knocked out by Marlon Vera with a head kick. He was scheduled to return against Rob Font in February of this year, but had to withdraw after another injury and subsequently announced his definitive retirement.

Exclusive: Michael PQD talks about his brutal UFC debut victory.