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“If he can pull this off, it’s one of the biggest upsets. I’d put it right up there with Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre.”
Matt Serra’s first-round TKO of Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 is widely considered one of, if not the, the greatest MMA upsets of all-time, but Dana White believes Dominick Cruz could take the crown for ‘biggest upset ever’ if ‘he beats Henry Cejudo to reclaim the bantamweight throne at UFC 249.
The reason: Cruz, despite being a two-time UFC bantamweight champion, is coming off a three-year layoff and many fans feel the MMA veteran should have retired after his latest injury.
“I think it’s the biggest upset ever,” White told BT Sport (transcribed by Adam Martin). “Say what you want about Henry Cejudo, (if) you don’t like his personality, the guy is unbelievable and he’s looked incredible in his last several outings. He is the man right now (in) two different weight classes. Dominick Cruz is the unluckiest fighter of all time. I mean the injuries that this guy’s had. If he can pull this off, it’s one of the biggest upsets. I’d put it right up there with Matt Serra vs. Georges St-Pierre.”
Cruz will enter the bout as a +175 underdog but ‘The Dominator’ is feeling more confident than ever heading into UFC 249, which will feature Cejudo vs. Cruz as the co-main event.
Cruz last fought at UFC 207, where he lost the bantamweight title to Cody Garbrandt. Cejudo, on the other hand, is riding a five-fight win streak and considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, having won two world titles in Cruz’ absence.
UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje takes place Saturday, May 9 at the VyState Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.