Dominick Cruz is one of the best mixed martial artists in the world. He has a career record of 17-1 and has been a champion in WEC and now in UFC. He has dominated the bantamweight division for the last three years. Yet somehow, someway he always manages to fly under the radar.
Cruz never got his just due in WEC because he was not a flashy fighter, though his style is one of the more unique ones that you will find in mixed martial arts. He didn’t have the boyish looks and personality that Urijah Faber, the biggest star in WEC and Cruz’s opponent at UFC 132, had.
Even as the two prepare to headline the first bantamweight championship fight in UFC history on Saturday night, Cruz is not getting the respect and credit from the fans that he so richly deserves.
From Yahoo.com:
No matter what happens in the cage Saturday, Cruz still has a long way to go to catch up to Faber in terms of notoriety. Faber was the face of the WEC and is already one of the UFC’s most popular fighters.
He’s in demand for personal appearances and interviews and he’s starring in commercials for several big companies. Cruz, by contrast, as well as by his own admission, is as anonymous as a UFC champion can be.
With this one victory, Cruz will not only avenge the only loss in his MMA career but will also make himself a household name to the majority of fans that have no idea what who he is.
Cruz has done more than enough to be in the discussion of best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and after Saturday night everyone will know exactly who he is and what he is all about.
Cruz isn’t asking for anyone to give him respect because he knows when he takes care of business against Faber the respect and accolades will come.