Dominick Cruz is standing firm on his belief that the UFC 323 co-main event ended too soon.
The final pay-per-view of 2025 produced a shocking moment when Joshua Van captured the flyweight title after defending champion Alexandre Pantoja suffered a freak arm injury just seconds into the fight. Referee Herb Dean waved it off immediately, crowning a new champion in dramatic fashion.
Moments after the stoppage, Dominick Cruz sparked debate across the MMA community. The former UFC bantamweight champion questioned whether the fight should have been allowed to continue, arguing that the decision should rest with the injured fighter.
“I wish that Van vs. Pantoja fight was allowed to keep going,” Cruz wrote on social media. “It should be up to us as the fighter if we want to continue after that. We put the time in during training camp. People dislocate their arms, put them back in place, and keep fighting all the time.”
The comment drew swift backlash, especially as Pantoja appeared to acknowledge the injury without protest. Still, Cruz doubled down on his stance during an episode of his Love & War podcast.
“I think the reason why this tweet got picked up is because it sounds kind of crazy, probably,” Cruz said. “But as a fighter myself, I watched that fight and saw somebody shaking his head when it got stopped, like, ‘No.’ He’s saying, ‘I’m alright, I’m alright.’”
Cruz clarified that he wasn’t dismissing the severity of Pantoja’s injury but questioned whether the referee acted too quickly.
“I’m not saying he is OK, by the way. He might be completely messed up,” Cruz added. “But the way I saw it, he didn’t even get a chance to try.”
Drawing from personal experience, Cruz pointed to past examples of fighters competing through serious injuries.
“I’ve had my shoulder dislocated in practice. Once you get it back in, the pain goes down,” he said. “I’ve watched fighters break arms, hands, shoulders—and still win fights because they were allowed to continue.”
According to Cruz, the key issue was the referee making the decision before Pantoja had the opportunity to assess the situation himself.
“My only thing about this tweet is he should have the choice,” Cruz said. “Give him a second. If he can’t defend himself, then you stop it. But he didn’t even get that chance.”
Cruz is no stranger to criticizing stoppages. His long-standing feud with referee Keith Peterson dates back to UFC 249, when his title fight against Henry Cejudo was halted, a decision Cruz still disputes.
Given that history, it was no surprise that Cruz placed responsibility for the UFC 323 ending on Herb Dean.
“These are opportunities of greatness that get taken away,” Cruz said. “What could we have learned from Pantoja if he pushed through that moment?”
As Pantoja awaits medical clearance and the UFC eyes an immediate rematch, the debate sparked by Dominick Cruz continues to divide fans, raising familiar questions about fighter autonomy, referee discretion, and where the line should be drawn between safety and sacrifice.
