"Tough way to go out" - Fans sympathize as "legend of the sport" Dominick Cruz has to swallow bitter pill of horribly painful injury ending his career

The MMA community has responded to Dominick Cruz's explanation of his decision to retire from combat sports. Cruz's legendary status in the UFC has garnered him a lot of praise from everyone.

Cruz was set to face Rob Font in a retirement match in the co-main event of UFC Seattle on Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. However, the former bantamweight champion withdrew himself from the fight due to an injury.

Following this, he took to his social media and announced his retirement from the sport owing to a shoulder injury. Cruz revealed during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show that he was battling with a shoulder problem while his matchup against Font was scheduled.

However, the pain was unbearable as the injury developed, forcing him to hang up his gloves. He said:

''I'll be honest, I was on borrowed time when I booked this fight... It was about an hour of my shoulder sitting out of socket. You kind of find Jesus in a time like that, to be honest. It's just excruciating pain...And for me, I'm not getting paid big enough dollars that it's worth my arm. Maybe if I was making a few million, maybe that might change it."

Check out Dominick Cruz's comments below:

Fans soon rushed to the comments section to share their reactions.

One fan wrote:

''Legend of the sport, been a fan since the WEC days. Enjoy retirement champ and lead the next gen of fighters''

Another one stated:

''Tough way to go out, but Cruz has nothing left to prove. A true legend of the sport.''

Other fans wrote:

''Did his injury come from fighting or the training camps leading up to his fights or…?''

''Dominick Cruz keeping it 100% real. Fighting through a dislocated shoulder, questioning if it’s worth losing an arm for the sport. Legends like him deserve more respect – and bigger paychecks. Retirement or not, Cruz’s legacy is untouchable''

Check out more reactions below:

Fan reactions [Screenshots courtesy: @arielhelwani on X]

---

Dominick Cruz reveals T.J. Dillashaw offered his support following his retirement

In the aforementioned conversation with Ariel Helwani, Dominick Cruz disclosed that former rival T.J. Dillashaw reached out to him and extended his support for the shoulder injury that prompted him to retire.

He said:

“I’ve gotten a few notes from some big names. One of the ones that stood out to me was T.J. Dillashaw, he actually reached out to me. I was shocked. He gave me a recommendation for a shoulder doctor, and he said he was looking forward to watching me compete and was sorry I couldn’t.”

Check out Dominick Cruz's comments below: