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According to Chael Sonnen, Dominick Cruz is getting in his own way as he continues to pursue championship opportunities. Cruz, widely regarded as one of the greatest bantamweights of all time, is seemingly quite far down the pecking order of contenders at 135 pounds.
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Sonnen shared that he watched Cruz's recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, wherein the former bantamweight champion mainly discussed his take on judging, the show-win payment system, the role of athletic commissions, and more.
Sonnen stated that while he enjoys listening to 'The Dominator' speak, he would much rather listen to him talk about fighting, rather than all the financial talk.
"Dominick speaks up on Ariel about pay. And as it pertains to a commission, that is completely uninteresting. And I heard it. I heard it, I remember when I’m talking to you guys about it. I will listen to anything that Dominick says. But he’s just not saying very much. Why is that?"
'The American Gangster' speculated as to why Cruz isn't more outspoken when it comes to campaigning for a title shot, adding:
"I think it’s a combination of him one, being a coach, so he wants to right, he doesn’t wanna ruffle any feathers. And two, be an announcer, right? He doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers. He doesn’t want to use that platform and overstep in something that he would view as a conflict of interest within his own career. I think it’s polite, I think it’s very professional."
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Dominick Cruz's standing in the bantamweight division below:
Dominick Cruz is a former WEC and two-time UFC bantamweight champion. He has never lost a non-championship fight and is unilaterally regarded as a future Hall of Famer. His professional record currently stands at 24-3 and he occupies the No.8 spot in the 135-pound rankings.
Cruz is also among the leading figures at Alliance MMA, a renowned MMA gym based out of California. He balances coaching and fighting with broadcasting, and has been a regular in the commentary booth for quite some time now.
Dominick Cruz doesn’t know how many fights are separating him from a title shot
Dominick Cruz is seemingly just a few wins away from fighting for the bantamweight title, which is currently held by Aljamain Sterling. There are rumblings that Sterling will defend his title against either Henry Cejudo or T.J. Dillshaw later this year.
With the likes of Petr Yan, Cory Sandhagen, Marlon Vera, Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili above Cruz on the bantamweight ladder, the former champion isn't sure how many fights it'll take to earn a title shot. In the aforementioned interview on The MMA Hour, he said:
"I don’t know how many fights I would have to have till I get a title shot, but I know I’m right there, and they’re running. And I’m moving up. That’s why I want to go up, you know?"
Watch Dominick Cruz discuss his title aspirations below: (16:34)
