Dominick Cruz has no problem fighting on the UFC 259 prelims.
Cruz is set to return to the Octagon on March 6 against Casey Kenney in a crucial fight for his career. Although Cruz is the former bantamweight champion and used to being on pay-per-views or headlining shows that will not be the case in this fight. Instead, he will be the prelim headliner, which is a spot Cruz actually liked.
“That’s probably the most seen position on the entire fight card. I’ll have the most eyes on me. Like I said, I’ve had a pretty decent layoff, so let’s get me in front of a lot of eyes is what I’m thinking,” Cruz said to ESPN. “At the same time, being on the prelims, that’s an ego thing. I’m not really attached to my ego at this point. I know what I am. I know the things that I’ve accomplished.
“It doesn’t affect me to be seen more, and I will. I’ll be seen more. More people tune into that than they will the main card. I’m right before the main card so everybody is watching that one because it’s the end of the prelims,” Dominick Cruz continued. “It’s kind of like the lead-off hitter of a baseball team. That’s usually the fight that people wanna see almost every time they put these fights together. I’m excited to be in that position.”
Cruz does have a point as in many instances, the prelim headliner leading up to a pay-per-view gets more viewers than the main card itself. The fight is on free TV and people don’t need to pay for it.
Not only is that a plus for Dominick Cruz, but he says for him, he doesn’t get paid any more money if he is on the main card or prelims. So, truthfully, he doesn’t care where he fights on the card as long as he is fighting.
“To not be on the main card, I don’t get paid more. None of us fighters get paid any different whether we’re on the main card or the prelims. So if people wanna stand up for anything, stand up for that. If the guys are on the main card, pay them the most amount of money I guess if that’s something to stand for,” Dominick Cruz added. “I get paid the same regardless if I’m on the bottom of the prelims, the top of the main event, I’m on a set contract. Really what matters is getting in front of the most eyes, and I believe that position gets more eyes than any other position on the entire fight card. It’s logical.”
What do you make of Dominick Cruz being on the UFC 259 prelims?