Mike Dolce says UFC 249 weight cut will likely prove toughest test for Dominick Cruz's return

The one thing that concerns Mike Dolce about Dominick Cruz’s long layoff is the former champion’s weight cut.

Cruz (22-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) faces bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 249, his first fight in three and a half years, which marks Cruz’s longest layoff.

While the former bantamweight champ Cruz has proven that ring rust isn’t a factor for him, his strength and conditioning coach Dolce said he’s more concerned with the fact that he’s going to have to hit 135 pounds for the first time since December 2016.

“The time out of the octagon – not from a ring rust perspective, time out of the octagon from a weight-reduction perspective – that’s the one challenge I believe Dominick has to face,” Dolce told MMA Junkie. “Because I don’t know if Dominick has dropped down to 135 since his last weigh-in. Why would he? Now, I’m friends with Dom. Dom’s a smart guy, Dom’s a hard-working guy, there’s no break in Dominick Cruz. Dominick will make the weight.

“It might be harder than he’s anticipating though he’s a cerebral athlete, I believe he’s already hedged the additional challenge into his weight cut. I would assume Dominick already knows it would come off a little slower, it’s gonna be a little harder, he’s gonna have to dig a little deeper in the process. If he’s already built that expectation in, it shouldn’t be an issue at all. But I will have to say it will be more challenging, simply because it’s the first time getting back under the wire.”

Cruz is a big 135-pounder, who will have a sizable height and reach advantage over Cejudo. He started his career at 145 pounds, but since dropping down to bantamweight in 2008, he has never missed weight.

UFC 249 takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Cruz vs. Cejudo co-headlines the pay-per-view main card, which follows prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.