Dominick Cruz had one of the strangest phrases in recent memory after his victory at UFC 259.
At Saturday’s event, “The Dominator” failed in two fights – the first losing streak in his 16-year career – with a unanimous nod over Casey Kenney. Instead of using his post-fight interview time to name his next opponent in the UFC, Cruz challenged Hans Molenkamp to a charity fight.
This left many fans watching at home scratching their heads, wondering who Molenkamp is and why Cruz seemed to have such a fight with him.
Cruz suggested that Molenkamp, an employee of the UFC Monster Energy sponsor, was making irrational demands and potentially withholding sponsorship money if those demands were not met. At the evening’s post-fight press conference, Cruz elaborated on his feud with Molenkamp, explaining that although they have a working relationship, he feels that Molenkamp is misrepresenting his connection with the fighters to increase his reputation.
“He’s probably going to love being connected like that, to be honest, so it’s really a benefit to him, so he should be thanking me,” said Cruz. “It turns out that we’re in a time when you can— If I take a picture with Conor McGregor like that, I’m now friends with Conor McGregor, right? If I take a picture with Dominick Cruz and he comments on my page, we will be in a time when it seems like we are friends. Well, I can be your friend, but you can’t use me for influence, as they say. I’m not here to be used.
“Look at my face, look at my body, I am beaten to death for a living. So, when you try to force me and send me a message if I don’t comment on your page, if I don’t give you an interview, will you keep what you pay my bills for? What are we doing? Monster sponsors me, not you. This was a warning because he calls himself a professional fighter. He weighs fifty kilos on me and I think, we can make this a win-win situation. Let’s do a charity event, Monster chooses the charity, and then we throw it away. He says he has three professional fights, let’s prove it, put your money where your mouth is. You have a little boy calling you out of charity, not anything else. Why not?”
Cruz added that the problem with Molenkamp is not a personal one and his priority is to help a charity make some money. The contract conversation that raised his eyebrows was also addressed by Cruz and he hinted that he is not the only one in the UFC who had problems with Molenkamp.
“You are not bound by a contract, you are forced to give it influence, you are forced to exaggerate if I want to make money,” said Cruz. “The monster pays me, so would the equivalent be the UFC pays me? yea. Does the UFC own Dana White? yea. So, if Dana White says, ‘Hey, go to my page and enjoy mine’ – Dana White went to this man’s page and said something. They ignored it as if it hadn’t happened. So I’m not the first to say something, Dana also said something, maybe ask him about it. “
In fact, when it was Dana White’s turn to take the podium after Saturday’s event, the UFC president shared his opinion on the Cruz-Molenkamp situation.
“It’s all weird,” said White. “Is Hans a goofy guy? Yes, he is a very goofy guy. But they are sponsors. These guys are sponsors, they are great sponsors, they pay a lot of money to these guys. Monster is one of those companies that really takes care of people and is their company. They can sponsor anyone they want, they can run their business however they want. It is not like a work situation in which you are working for someone and you are not happy with the way you are being treated. This is a sponsorship agreement. These guys can spend their money and run their business however they want and no one is guaranteed money from a sponsor. It is a privilege to receive money from a sponsor. So, if you don’t like the way they do business, don’t do business with them.
“They have been good for us. They have been good for the sport and have definitely been good for the fighters. I understand, he doesn’t like him and some guys have a problem with him. It’s easy to find that out, but Monster as a company has been solid, it couldn’t be better. “
Although White was not asked if he would be interested in a possible benefit fight between Cruz and Molenkamp being affiliated to the UFC, Cruz had already put forward the idea that White could help to set up the fight.
“Dana, maybe you will,” said Cruz. “Perhaps you can organize this charity event. He calls himself a professional fighter, Hans, come on. “