"Producer likes to put me there" - Dominick Cruz reveals why the UFC have him call fights of the bantamweight division against his will

Dominick Cruz is widely viewed as one of the greatest bantamweights of all-time. In the same regard, he is also viewed as one of the biggest "what-ifs" in UFC history, as injuries have prevented him from maximizing his career.

During a nearly 10-year span ranging from 2011 to 2020, Cruz only fought four times. In all, Cruz has had just seven fights since 2011. Despite his inactivity and only having three title defenses, Cruz still holds the record for most time as bantamweight champion. He has spent over four years, cumulatively across two reigns, as champion. This inactivity has led to him being overlooked by fight fans, many of whom missed his prime.

Dominick Cruz has been more active recently as he looks to climb back into the title picture. He is currently the No.8-ranked bantamweight and is set to take on Marlon Vera, the No.5-ranked bantamweight at UFC on ESPN 41. On media day, Cruz, who also works as an analyst, was asked if he had called any of Vera's previous fights and stated:

"Yeah, I have, against my will-- I don't really like calling the fights of the guys in my division because, obviously, they probably get a little annoyed by what I'm saying and producer likes to put me there. He likes to get me in those positions where I think it creates some buzz when I'm there, but I've asked to not be there if I can help it sometimes."

While Cruz may not like calling fights in his weight class, it does allow him the opportunity to scout potential opponents and their tendencies. It will be interesting to see how he utilizes that advantage against Vera.

Watch Dominick Cruz's comments at 1:50 of the video below (via MMA Junkie):

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Can Dominick Cruz work his way back into the title picture?

Dominick Cruz believes that his matchup against Marlon Vera will resemble a title-fight due to its five-round nature. As for Vera, he believes that the title picture will be decided by popularity and not who is most deserving.

Cruz has previously echoed similar sentiments, stating that the winner deserves a title shot, but it will be driven by financial gain. With such a crowded title picture, Chael Sonnen recently suggested that the winner of Cruz and Vera should position themselves as the backup fighter for the title fight between Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw.

This wouldn't be the worst strategy. Bantamweight fights between Petr Yan and Sean O'Malley, as well as Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili figure to play into the title picture. Both of those matchups occur after Cruz and Vera, so in all likelihood, it could take the winner another fight before gaining a title shot.

Cruz, who has never lost a non-title fight, could theoretically earn a title fight with just one more win. If Aldo and O'Malley both lose, there is a possibility that Cruz could "skip the line". Sterling and Dvalishvili have made it clear they don't want to fight, while Sterling and Yan have fought twice already. This could make Cruz the most attractive option for a title fight after this.