Ex-UFC champ Cruz named 2026 HOF inductee

LAS VEGAS — Dominick Cruz, one of the greatest bantamweight mixed martial artists of all time, will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame later this year.

The UFC announced Cruz’s future induction during UFC 324 on Saturday inside T-Mobile Arena. Cruz, who was serving as a desk analyst for the UFC, admitted he was surprised by the news.

Cruz (24-4) is on the short list of the all-time greatest bantamweights, along with former champions Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling. He became a 135-pound champion in the WEC in 2010. The WEC was the premier promotion for smaller weight classes, until it was absorbed into the UFC in 2010. Cruz became the UFC’s inaugural bantamweight champion and defended the title twice before having to relinquish it because of an injury.

Cruz’s career was plagued by injury, but his legacy grew through his ability to return from devastating knee and groin injuries to recapture the UFC title in 2016. He missed another three years of action between 2016 and 2020 because of arm and shoulder injuries.

Cruz retired in 2025, after he was forced out of a scheduled bout in February with another injury. When healthy and in his prime, however, he was considered one of the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighters