Can former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, continue to evolve at the same, rapid, pace of modern mixed martial arts?
On Saturday, The 36-year-old enters what will be his tenth fight in eleven years under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner when he takes on the younger and rapidly rising title contender in Marlon Vera at UFC San Diego – But Cruz’s tenure with the company represents just a fraction of his overall career’s work; which stretches back to 2005.
The length of ‘The Dominator’s career – or more specifically that amount of tape available on him – presents a legitimate problem for the 135-pound veteran, according to Dan Hooker, who believes Henry Cejudo has already drawn up the blueprint to defeating the former king of the bantamweight division.
“The danger of being Dominick Cruz is that you’ve been around so long that people have been training to beat you for years and years,” Hooker told John Hyon Ko on a recent episode of The AllStar’s MMA Live show. “I’m sure Marlon Vera spent hours and hours before this fight was even conceived about how he was gonna fight Dominick Cruz or how he was gonna beat Dominick Cruz.”
“Everyone knows your game and your cards in and out; and that’s kind of the position that [he’s] in,” Hooker added. “He’s been caught out by Henry Cejudo, who kinda found the answer. You step in a little deeper, you get him to react to your right hand, he pulls that leg back and you can catch him with the low kick… There’s evidence on how to break down and beat Dominick Cruz.”
That danger Cruz faces, however, is simply ‘part and parcel’ of being in the upper echelon of fighters for a long period of time, ‘The Hangman’ went on to explain; though he does believe it’s possible to teach an old dog new tricks.
Hooker posits that if Cruz can add some new wrinkles to his game, he’ll significantly increase the probability of emerging victorious over hisEcuadorian dance partner, and put his name back in the title mix.
“I feel like the game is evolving, footwork’s evolving, and his style of footwork needs adjustment, you know?”
“What we need to see from Dominick Cruz is what I think he’s capable of [doing] – adjusting. I feel like he’s a very smart man, he’s one of the smartest fighters in mixed martial arts, and he just needs to show it in this fight.”
“After all this time, he needs to show a new feather in his cap, and he needs to show that he’s continuing to evolve with the sport – which I feel like he’s really capable of, and I’m very excited to see it.”
Fighter profile
Marlon “Chito” Vera is a 29-year-old male fighter from Ecuador with 21 pro wins and 7 losses. Vera is scheduled to fight Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz on Saturday, August 13, 2022.
Marlon Vera’s recent form coming into this matchup

Marlon Vera has gone 4-1 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Rob Font • Decision R5 5:00 • 2022-04-30
- Win vs Frankie Edgar • KO/TKO R3 3:50 • 2021-11-06
- Win vs Davey Grant • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-06-19
- Loss vs José Aldo • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-12-19
- Win vs Sean O’Malley • KO/TKO R1 4:40 • 2020-08-15
Marlon Vera’s next opponent: Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz

Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz’s recent form coming into this matchup
Dominick “The Dominator” Cruz is a 37-year-old male fighter from the United States with 24 pro wins and 3 losses. Cruz is scheduled to fight Marlon Vera at UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz on Saturday, August 13, 2022.

Dominick Cruz has gone 3-2 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.
- Win vs Pedro Munhoz • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-12-11
- Win vs Casey Kenney • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-03-06
- Loss vs Henry Cejudo • KO/TKO R2 4:58 • 2020-05-09
- Loss vs Cody Garbrandt • Decision R5 5:00 • 2016-12-30
- Win vs Urijah Faber • Decision R5 5:00 • 2016-06-04
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