Former UFC champ Dominick Cruz is expected to meet Casey Kenney in what will be his first non-title bout in more than six years.
Cruz (22-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), a former UFC and WEC bantamweight titleholder, is expected to face Kenney (16-2-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a 135-pound matchup at March’s UFC 259 event.
Multiple people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the news. The people requested anonymity because UFC has yet to officially announce the matchup.
UFC 259 takes place March 6. The location, venue and broadcast plans for the card have not been revealed.
Cruz, 35, most recently competed at UC 249 in May, where he suffered a title-fight loss to then-champ Henry Cejudo. The fight marked his return to the octagon more than three years after losing UFC gold to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 in December 2016.
“The Dominator” has fought just 10 times in the past 10 year, with all but one of those being championship bouts under the UFC or now-defunct WEC banner.
Kenney, 29, will get an opportunity to make his name at Cruz’s expense in what will be his seventh UFC appearance. Kenney has lost just once inside the octagon thus far, and has momentum on his side after picking up two wins in a three-week stretch against Nathaniel Wood and Heili Alateng in October.
The latest UFC 259 lineup now includes
- Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos
- Askar Askarov vs. Joseph Benavidez
- Randy Costa vs. Trevin Jones
- Aalon Cruz vs. Uros Medic
- Dominick Cruz vs. Casey Kenney
