Dominick Cruz slams referee, claims he reeked of alcohol and cigarettes after UFC 249 loss

Henry Cejudo demolished Dominick Cruz with a vicious knee in the second round of their title fight at the co-main event of UFC 249 to register his third successful bantamweight title defence. Though Dominick Cruz appeared to be wobbling, the former champion claimed that he was still in the contest before labelling the result as an early stoppage by referee Keith Peterson. However, things took a bitter turn as Dominick Cruz went on to accuse referee Keith referee of being under the influence of alcohol and cigarettes before hosting the co-main event.

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UFC 249: Dominick Cruz slams referee with alcohol consumption allegations after loss to Henry Cejudo

Dominick Cruz busted up Henry Cejudo’s forehead with an unintentional headbutt in the very first round of their fight. However, Henry Cejudo managed to take it in his stride and came out all guns blazing in the second round as he went on to plant a lethal knee on Dominick Cruz. ‘The Dominator’ hit the canvas clean and as he started to work his way up, referee Keith Thurman called off the fight after Henry Cejudo’s follow-up jabs.

Cruz protested the decision in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan and went on to explain how it was unfair to stop the contest that early. According to Dominick Cruz, he was hurt by Henry Cejudo’s shots but he was working his way up from the ground and it was “too early” to call it off. “The guy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes, so who knows what he was doing,” said Dominick Cruz later, as per MMA Junkie.

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Dominick Cruz stoppage explanation and mutual respect towards Henry Cejudo

Though it was a controversial victory for a lot of MMA fans, Henry Cejudo managed to outclass Dominick Cruz and took him down despite bleeding severely from his head. 'Triple C' recorded his third successive bantamweight title defence against Dominick Cruz and later announced his retirement from MMA. After the fight, Henry Cejudo went to Dominick Cruz’s corner and showed respect towards the veteran by saying, “I look up to you”.

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Image courtesy: UFC