Overview
- The UFC announced the honor during UFC 324, the promotion’s debut on Paramount+, as Cruz worked the broadcast desk.
- Cruz retired in 2025 with a 24-4 record after a career that helped define bantamweight MMA in both the UFC and WEC.
- His accolades include the longest UFC bantamweight title reign at 1,117 days and a record seven bantamweight title-fight wins across UFC and WEC.
- He captured the WEC 135-pound title in 2010, became the UFC’s inaugural bantamweight champion, and regained the UFC belt in 2016 by defeating T.J. Dillashaw.
- Dana White praised Cruz as one of the greatest bantamweights, and the Hall of Fame ceremony for the Class of 2026 is slated for summer with the exact date to be announced.