Dominick Cruz by no means forgets the night time he misplaced to Henry Cejudo—and the referee who performed an element in his downfall.
Could 9, 2020. UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Fla. Cruz, one of many biggest fighters ever to compete at 135 kilos, taking up then-bantamweight champion Cejudo. The official end result: Cejudo by technical knockout at 4:58 of Spherical 2.
The precise end of the struggle was far much less neat. Cejudo rocked Cruz with a knee and flurried with punches, forcing Cruz into full defensive mode. Because it seemed like Cruz may get better and make it to the tip of the spherical, referee Keith Peterson stepped in for the stoppage, drawing speedy protest from Cruz, who later famously claimed that Peterson “smelled like alcohol and cigarettes.”
Cruz had the prospect to debate the incident as soon as once more throughout a prolonged dialog with Demetrious Johnson on the MightyCast, and time has not softened his stance on the incident.
“That one received away and [Cejudo is] type of one of many individuals I’ve been alluding to [that I want to rematch], the way in which that that struggle went,” Cruz stated. “I’m on my toes. I’m up. I’m not making an attempt to, I’m up and there’s one second left on the clock and ‘All-Nonsense’ Keith Peterson is an entire f*ck-up for that.
“It’s the one sporting occasion on this planet occurring, there’s one second left on the clock, I’m on my toes, I did my job as a fighter and he failed as a referee. A whole failure. On a number of events, he’s saved doing it.”
In his common work as a cageside analyst for UFC occasions, Cruz has by no means shied away from criticizing Peterson, considered one of MMA’s most veteran officers. When Cruz was nonetheless an energetic fighter, he as soon as requested forward of a struggle at UFC 259 that any referee be assigned to his struggle in addition to Peterson.
Cruz has all the time acknowledged his half within the Cejudo loss, however can’t wrap his head round why Peterson didn’t have a greater grasp of the state of affairs.
“Sure, that struggle received away from me and it taught me that, sure, I received hit, I shouldn’t have gotten clipped,” Cruz stated. “100%, I took accountability for that and I advised Keith Peterson that. Sure, I shouldn’t have gotten clipped and received dropped, OK. I get dropped virtually each struggle, get again up, and whoop your ass after that. I knew this was going to be a part of it. I knew the primary three rounds have been going to be a conflict with Henry, he’s not a chump, however I knew after that was [my time] and he knew that too. So there’s a sport we’re enjoying, so that you’ve received to let me play the sport, and Keith Peterson took that chance away from me. Took half my test from me as a result of he wished to take a look at Henry and take heed to Henry, ‘Cease it, I’m hurting him.’
“Dude, you’re a weakling. You’re a weak human for that. So get your life collectively after which come again and get in and ref. That may be a struggle that received away from me. This isn’t just a little struggle that you just tousled. That is my whole life’s work, so I don’t take it evenly.”
What was notably irritating for Cruz was that he claims his in-cage argument with Peterson was half of a bigger dialog. Throughout the usual pre-fight briefing between officers and fighters, Cruz was already cautious of Peterson’s conduct and had little confidence within the referee earlier than making his stroll to the octagon.
“I spoke to him within the again earlier than that struggle,” Cruz stated. “I made him restart your complete—You know the way the refs come within the again… he wouldn’t look me within the eyes. He was, like, in every single place. My coaches, no person will speak about it, however they will verify that I made him begin your complete course of over. I made the referee return and restart.
“‘Hey, look me within the eyes if you discuss to me, I wish to ensure we’re right here and we perceive one another. Don’t cease this struggle. It’s going to be a conflict. I already know the primary three rounds, I’d get dropped, I might need to get again up, and it’s OK.’ And I advised him that and what occurred? That’s why I used to be so mad. I had this dialog and he wouldn’t look me within the eyes and one thing was fishy about this dude within the again and that’s what no person is aware of about the entire story.”
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