Dominick Cruz set for his octagon return at UFC 259

Modified Dec 05, 2020 19:10 GMT

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is set to make his return to the octagon in 2021. According to multiple sources close to MMA Junkie, Cruz will be fighting Casey Kenney at next year's UFC 259 pay-per-view.

The fight will mark Cruz's return to the octagon for the first time since his loss to Henry Cejudo. Whereas, for Kenney, this will be his first non-title bout in more than six years.

#BREAKING: Ex-champ @DominickCruz returns against Casey Kenney (@ckmma135) at #UFC259 in March.News via @MikeBohnMMA & @Farah_Hannoun.Full story: https://t.co/zuFsvlwPMo pic.twitter.com/ApuoSeoBHV
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) December 5, 2020

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The fight is expected to take place on March 6, 2021, the date for the UFC 259 PPV. As things stand though, a location or venue has not been revealed for the UFC 259 card.

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Dominick Cruz and Casey Kenney's latest runs in the UFC

Dominick Cruz was most recently seen in octagon action at UFC 249. The former UFC bantamweight champion made his return to action for the first time in three years in a huge title clash against Henry Cejudo.

In a fight that ended in a rather controversial manner, Triple C eventually went on to retain his title over Cruz. Post-fight, the former champion was visibly upset with the referee, whereas, Cejudo would go on to announce his retirement from the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. The fight also marked Cruz's first since dropping the UFC bantamweight title to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 in December of 2016.

On the other hand, Casey Kenney will be making his seventh UFC appearance and will aim to secure a huge win over a former champion. Kenney has lost just once inside the Octagon and has established a lot of momentum on his side after picking up two wins in a three-week stretch.

What does UFC 259 currently look like?

The UFC 259 pay-per-view will feature several other notable fights, including a clash between light heavyweight hard-hitters Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos. Here is the UFC 259 line-up, as of now: