Cody is a champion in his heart and mind - Dominick Cruz throws his weight behind rival Cody Garbrandt after tough UFC 269 loss

After an impressive comeback win at UFC 269, Dominick Cruz had some strong words of support for his former rival Cody Garbrandt, who suffered a devastating loss to Kai Kara-France on the same card.

During the UFC 269 post-fight press conference, Cruz said:

"I don't know why other people haven't been successful. I haven't been part of their camps but I know that Cody is a champion, obviously, in his heart and mind. I think he will get back on track. He is still very young. Cutting down to 125 is, I don't even know how that's possible for him, but he made it work and he said it was easy so I think he'll be fine. Just give the guy some time and let him find his bearings with his team or whatever he needs to find. I got nothing but faith in the guy."

Watch Dominick Cruz's full interview at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference below:

Dominick Cruz suffered one of the toughest losses of his MMA career via unanimous decision to Cody Garbrandt in a bantamweight title showdown in 2016. The two fighters were involved in a lot of back and forth in the lead-up to their fight. However, it now appears that 'The Dominator’ doesn't hold any grudges against Garbrandt after all these years.

After much anticipation, Cody Gabrandt finally made his flyweight debut at UFC 269 against Kai Kara-France. Unfortunately, it didn't prove to be a successful. 'No Love' was knocked out by his opponent in the first round of the fight.

Garbrandt was coming off a decision loss to Rob Font, whom he fought in May 2021 at bantamweight. The former bantamweight champion had an impressive 11-0 start in MMA. However, things only went downhill for 'No Love' after he won the bantamweight title from Cruz. Garbrandt now has one win in his last six bouts since his championship winning performance against 'The Dominator'.

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Dominick Cruz survives early scare at UFC 269

Dominick Cruz earned a decision over Pedro Munhoz in his comeback fight at UFC 269. 'The Dominator' turned in a vintage performance and showed championship grit in beating Munhoz after being nearly knocked out in the first round.

Dominick Cruz has now won two consecutive fights in the UFC as he works to rise back to the top of the bantamweight rankings. As a former bantamweight champ, Cruz remains one of the biggest challenges for anyone looking to fight at 135 pounds.