By The Numbers: Dominick Cruz

Even with all Dominick Cruz accomplished, history figures to remember him for all that might have been.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in February, closing the book on an a wildly successful but injury-plagued career filled with exhilarating in-competition highs and maddening out-of-competition lows. Cruz—undoubtedly on the short list of greatest bantamweights of all-time¬—finishes with a 24-4 record, his run highlighted by victories over Urijah Faber (twice), Joseph Benavidez (twice), T.J. Dillashaw and Demetrious Johnson. He made what turned out to be his final appearance at UFC on ESPN 41, where Marlon Vera felled him with a head kick in the fourth round of their pairing on Aug. 13, 2022.

As Cruz’s exploits start their slow fade into memory, a look at some of the numbers he compiled during his 17-plus years in the sport:

40: Years of age for Cruz, who was born in San Diego on March 9, 1985. “Witness,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “The Breakfast Club,” “The Sure Thing” and “Missing in Action 2: The Beginning” were the Top 5 movies at the domestic box office at the time.

1,465: Days spent by Cruz as undisputed UFC bantamweight champion. He held the title from Dec. 16, 2010 to Jan. 6, 2014 and again from Jan. 17, 2016 to Dec. 30, 2016.

7: Cruz victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 29% of his career total (24). His list of UFC and WEC victims: Takeya Mizugaki and Brian Bowles. Cruz holds one other victory by submission (4%)—he tapped Juan Miranda with a rear-naked choke under the Total Combat banner in 2006—and 16 more by decision (67%).

56: Seconds needed for Cruz to put away Tom Schwager with punches at a Rage in the Cage event on Aug. 6, 2005. It was the fastest finish of his 28-fight career.

28: Takedowns completed by Cruz as a UFC bantamweight, tying him with Rani Yahya for sixth on the promotion’s all-time list at 135 pounds. Only Merab Dvalishvili (79), Ricky Simon (44), Tony Gravely (33), Aljamain Sterling (32) and Brett Johns (29) have been credited with more.

117: Significant strikes landed by Cruz in his five-round unanimous decision over Scott Jorgensen in the WEC 53 co-main event on Dec. 16, 2010. It established a personal high-water mark for “The Dominator” that he never surpassed.

275,000: Dollars in post-fight bonuses banked by Cruz across his 10 assignments in the UFC. He was awarded “Fight of the Night” four times and “Performance of the Night” once.

83: Rounds started by Cruz as a professional mixed martial artist. He went the distance on 17 different occasions and carried a 16-1 record in those bouts. The lone outlier? Cruz lost a five-round unanimous decision to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 in December 2016.

4: Organizations for which Cruz plied his mixed martial arts trade. In addition to the UFC and WEC, he suited up for Total Combat and Rage in the Cage.

.731: Cumulative winning percentage between the four opponents—Vera, Garbrandt, Faber, and Henry Cejudo—who defeated Cruz. They boast a combined record of 88-32-1.