Dominick Cruz did not have an easy night at the office, but the former bantamweight champion still did the trick to conquer his first victory since 2016 in the highlights highlighted at UFC 259.
It was a back and forth battle, but Cruz was able to beat Casey Kenney for most of three rounds to finally win a split decision. The judges marked the match 30-27 and 29-28 for Cruz with the third officer giving Kenney the nod with a 29-28 score.
Still, it was enough for Cruz to win and return to the winning column after suffering two consecutive defeats in the last two title fights against Henry Cejudo and Cody Garbrandt.
“A little closer than I wanted, but I did the job,” said Cruz after the victory. “I kind of hoped I could overtake him, but he did.”
Always fast on his feet, Cruz was kicking Kenney, including some shots in the legs and then coming back up in the head. Cruz’s blurring was giving Kenney headaches, as he always seemed to be after the former champion of the roosters on the stock exchanges.
Just before the end of the opening round, Kenney started shooting back with a few kicks to the legs while trying to slow Cruz down from moving so much around the octagon.
Kenney continued with this game plan while trying to stop the constant movement, but Cruz started to find a place for his right hand while avoiding his opponent’s big punches. Still, Kenney was more or less willing to trade shot by shot, including a stiff left hand when the second round was drawing to a close, which definitely caught Cruz’s attention.
With a close fight in two rounds, Cruz mixed two takedowns while Kenney rocked to the fences, trying to do more damage to his feet. Although it was an incredibly close fight, Cruz’s ability to connect consistently with the best overall kicks allowed him to advance on the scoreboard.
Injuries have plagued Cruz for much of his career, but he still managed to hit a top up and reach Kenney on Saturday night, proving that there is still a lot of fighting ahead.
Instead of calling another bantamweight, however, Cruz decided to take the time in his post-fight interview to ask for a fight against a Monster Energy Drinks executive.
“I would love to have an aligned charity fight,” said Cruz. “There is a guy named Hans Molenkamp, who has held many fighters hostage and says he is an incredible professional fighter who can take everyone out. I would love for Monster to choose a charity of their choice and Hans and I would do that. “