Dominick Cruz is a world known American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).
His ring nickname is made out of his name and it’s the „Dominator“.
Early years
Dominick was born on March 9, 1985 in San Diego in Arizona. His father was of Mexican descent and left them when he was only five years old. He lived only with his mum and his brother Derek, who was actually her son from her first marriage. They moved to Tucson when he was just a little child.
He went to Flowing Wells High School where he was very popular and, because of his athletic accomplishments, he was signed into their Atletic Hall of Fame.The only thing that kept him away from being a major college wrestler were his torn ligaments, so he didn’t get the chance to study and fight for any college.
He wanted a career of a firefighter so he continued studying at comunity college to become one. Before he started to do some serious boxing he was a customer service representative, helping to support the family.
Career Development
He had his debut in MMA in 2005 against Eddie Castro and he won at this occasion.He had to leave his family and friends to pursue a dream of becoming a worlwide known fighter.
Cruz first started fighting in an organization he got involved into, called Rage in The Cage, in 2008, mostly because he needed a place to promote himself and his unnoticed skills. He lost his first fight against Urijah Faber.
In 2010 the Rage in the Cage merged with The UFC and sudddenly Dominick became a UFC fighter. There he gained an opportunity for a rematch with Urijah, and this time he won. This was in 2011, and five years later, in 2016, he again won a match agains Urijah Faber and got his title.
He is a Bantamweight champion, twice to be exact. He has a Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, so it is evident he likes all sorts of martial arts and is devoted to whole life learning.
Personal life
Dominick also has a sister from his mother’s first marriage, called Anika.
He was in a relationship with Kenda Perez, a model and a host of The Jason Ellis Show.
He lives at his residence in San Diego, his home town.
Philantropic work
Dominick travels to Philadelphia and other cities to do charity work. He emphasizes how it is very important to give back to the community so he talks to teenagers and other interested about the importance of hard work and about his fighting history.
He financially helps young fighters with buying them equipment because of their low incomes. He was in a similar situation when he was young so it is not hard for him to understand their needs and wishes.
Quick summary
Full name: Dominick Rojelio Cruz
Date of Birth: March 9, 1985
Birth Place: San Diego, Arizona
Age: 32
Proffession: boxer
Height: 173 cm
Weight: 61 kgs
Net worth: $ 1,7 million