Why Dominick Cruz has an issue with MMA referee Keith Peterson

Dominick Cruz may be preparing to fight Casey Kenney this weekend, but a large portion of the focus is still on his feud with Keith Peterson.

UFC 259 will mark the return of the great bantamweight Cruz as he attempts to begin his road back to a title fight. The bantamweight division is absolutely stacked right now, so it may take more than a win over Kenney for Cruz to state his case.

We last saw the veteran compete inside the Octagon back at UFC 249 in the first major UFC event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. To the surprise of many, Cruz was thrust into an immediate shot at the Bantamweight Championship when he faced Henry Cejudo for the belt.

The unique Cruz/Peterson rivalry

Things didn’t exactly go to plan, though, with Cejudo finishing Cruz seconds before time expired in the second round. This is where the Cruz/Peterson journey begins.

Dominick Cruz felt it was an early stoppage by the referee as he noted during an appearance on the UFC 249 post-show (quotes courtesy of MMA Junkie) before reiterating the same when speaking to Ariel Helwani.

“That was an early stoppage, 100 percent – I’m positive of it,” Cruz said on the UFC 249 post-fight show on ESPN.

“I wish there was a way to keep these refs a little more responsible sometimes. The guy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes, so who knows what he was doing. Definitely (he did). I wish they drug tested them. I know Herb Dean is good. He’s one of the best refs. I immediately when I saw that ref I was like, ‘Man, is there a way to veto a ref and get a new one?’ I wonder that.”

The “alcohol and cigarettes” quote created a storm within the MMA community as fans questioned why Peterson would’ve been cleared to referee the fight if he was inebriated. Others, however, rushed to his side and defended him.

Whatever the case may be, Cruz hasn't changed his mind since the event. Cruz made it clear that he specifically requested Peterson to not referee his fight, also noting that it was his attitude before the contest against Cejudo that initially set him off (quotes courtesy of MMA Junkie).

“I made the request, and you hope the commission can honor your request. But when it all comes down to it, they run things, right?” Cruz said at a pre-fight news conference. “They have control over everything.”

“(UFC vice president of regulatory affairs) Marc Ratner alluded he was able to make that possible for me,” Cruz said. “It’s not that I hate this guy or anything. This is a business thing, and I did not feel like he was doing his just. There are plenty of refs. I’ve never had an issue with any other ref in the history of my career – before the fight started. I had an issue with him before the fight started in the locker room. So that’s what made me stand by the fact that I’d prefer another ref.”