Barring retirement, UFC unlikely to strip injured champ Dominick Cruz of title

LONDON – UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has been on the sidelines for 16 months, and with recent knee surgeries, his exact return date remains unknown. But don't expect the UFC to strip his title anytime soon.

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strip it and make him the #1 contender when he decides to leave the Fox studios. Being an interim champ for longer than a year (if Barao wins Sunday as he most likely won't fight til after July) just continues to cheapen the belt on his waist.

No disrespect to Cruz but, he should have been stripped along time ago.

Barao is the champ right now in my opinion not Cruz. With that being said I do think Dominick should get an immediate shot at the belt when/if he gets healthy

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Posted by sparky

No disrespect to Cruz but, he should have been stripped along time ago.

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I can't be that harsh, even though I don't like him as a fighter, but anything longer than 18 months needs to be addressed unless a fight is lined up (ie GSP). Even then that is a long ass grace period.

There should be a mandatory period to defend the title. Boxing and other MMA orgs have it, and they've stripped other fighters for this in the past in the UFC. It's favoratism.

If i'm cruz I think about dropping the belt and getting a tune up fight before Barao. Ring rust is real and Barao is a monster.

I think the issue is sponsorship. If you're still the champ, I'm sure sponsors are willing to keep supporting you because they know you're main eventing your first fight back. If you're stripped, might not be the case.

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Posted by postman

If i'm cruz I think about dropping the belt and getting a tune up fight before Barao. Ring rust is real and Barao is a monster.

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you got a good point there. if he really is looking at being out for 2 years, why the fuck wouldnt they strip the belt away. i know he hasnt lost and has put on some great shows, but for the growth of the weight class they need to strip the belt. i like cruz too, but i think it has to be done.

Shiny belts aside - I know that Barao is the true top dog right now! UFC is just making Cruz feel nice while hes a gimp for 2 years. When Cruz learns to walk again he gets an auto-shot at Barao & I can't fuckin wait for that fight

There is ample UFC precedent for stripping Cruz.

Frank Mir was stripped of his title after 14 months when there was an interim belt held by Arlovski.

Cruz should be stripped of the title and given priority for a title shot upon return. As others have said, at this point it would probably be best for him to get a tune up before fighting Barao anyway.


One caveat: If Barao is seriously thinking about moving up to 145 anyway, it might be better to keep Cruz with the title unless he is going to be gone so long that another interim belt is needed.

I'll laugh at all you guys if Barao gets KTFO on Saturday


(for the record I have Barao winning too)

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Posted by Bubbles

I'll laugh at all you guys if Barao gets KTFO on Saturday


(for the record I have Barao winning too)

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Definitely could happen. Michael McD is tough and pretty well-rounded. Can he crack the Nova Uniao nut like Tyson Nam did with Dantas? We shall see.