Deiveson Figueiredo Praises Legacy of Dominick Cruz: ‘One of the Greatest’

Ultimate Fighting Championship great Dominick Cruz had a major impact on the development of MMA and fighter talent around the world.

News of Cruz’ retirement came Thursday courtesy of his announcement, shortly following the release that he had sustained injuries that ejected him a retirement bout with Rob Font. Instead of getting back on the mend, the 39-year-old decided it was time to move on. The Alliance MMA fighter serves as a coach and trainer as well as a commentator and analyst for the UFC.

One of the many fighters Cruz had an impact on was future UFC beltholder Deiveson Figueiredo. Formerly a flyweight that captured the belt on more than one occasion, “Daico” has since moved to the 135-pound category where Cruz made his mark. The new division breathed life into the aging Brazilian, winning three straight until encountering Petr Yan and coming up short in November. Figueiredo spoke to Sherdog about Cruz’ retirement, speaking highly of “The Dominator” and giving credit where credit was due.

“No doubt, he is one of the greatest,” Figueiredo stated. “Not only for his titles, but for the tools he brought to the game. He influenced all the generations that came after, and I can speak for myself that I modeled my [footwork and angles] a lot on his game. Unfortunately, our body accumulates bruises, and at some point, we have to stop. I know my time will also come, but I hope I have three more years ahead before [the end].”

With Cruz no longer eligible to face in the talent-stacked bantamweight crowd, Figueiredo turns his sights to other foes. Even though he is coming off a loss, “Deus da Guerra” is focused on names in the top five. Figueiredo has been recovering from a pubis inflammation for the past month, and he will soon get back in the training room.

“I’m returning little by little and still working hard on the physiotherapy to recover from that [strange injury] and return as soon as possible, probably against Cory Sandhagen. I’m just waiting UFC to decide,” Figueiredo concluded.