Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz isn’t a fan of calling himself the GOAT.
This Saturday at UFC 280, the bantamweight title will be on the line in the co-main event. While the reigning champion Aljamain Sterling is on his road to creating a great legacy, he’s not yet in the greatest of all-time discussion. The other half of the title fight certainly is.
In Abu Dhabi this weekend, T.J. Dillashaw will once again look to win UFC gold. Ahead of his return, the Colorado native has stated he’s on the road to 135-pound GOAT status. Dillashaw believes that with a win this Saturday, he’ll likely claim that honor.
The other man in the discussion is another former bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz. While he’s sure of his place in history as a great fighter, he’s not a fan of self-appointing himself as the greatest ever.
‘The Dominator’ discussed the bantamweight GOAT discussion in a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, where he stated that it’s up to fans to decide. However, Cruz also noted that, unlike Dillashaw, he’s never been accused of using banned substances. While that’s not an important metric for him, he believes it’ll matter to some.
“You know, I mean this, the people decide that, not the person,” stated Cruz on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “If I’m over here saying ‘I’m the greatest of all-time!’, anybody can say that about themselves. History is made by the people, not by the person who does it. Like, we’re going to be remembered for what we’ve done, and how we carried ourselves during that time.”
He continued, “To me, that’s what matters, more than [saying] you’re the greatest of all time. Like, that’s going to be said by the people I can’t decide that for myself. I believe that my results speak for themself, and I’m still here competing at the highest level… When it comes down to it, I’ve never been in trouble with USADA. If there’s anything that you can look at that makes a difference, that makes a difference for other people.”
As Dominick Cruz noted, he still competes at a high level, but his return is yet to be set. He’s been out of action since his knockout loss to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in August.
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