Frenemies?
It has been nearly six years since former two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruzsuffered a controversial second-round stoppage loss to “champ-champ” Henry Cejudo in the co-main event of UFC 249.
After the fight, Cruz famously blasted referee Keith Peterson, claiming the official was intoxicated during his fight.
“The guy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes, so who knows what he was doing?” Cruz said at the time.
Since that night, Cruz has taken plenty of shots at Peterson whenever a questionable call happens. However, it appears the one-sided feud may finally be coming to an end.
While working commentary at UFC Vegas 114 this past weekend, Cruz ran into Peterson in the Meta Apex and snapped a few photos with the referee, later sharing them on Instagram.
Cruz captioned the post: “You can run — but you can’t hide.”
Check out the photo below:
Cruz also teased a possible collaboration with Peterson on his new podcast, Love & War, where the former champion sits down with past rivals to discuss their history and what happened after their feuds. The show has already featured several former opponents, including Urijah Faber (watch it here).
If there was ever a time to bring Peterson onto the show, it would certainly be now — especially considering how often Cruz criticized the referee over the past six years, including claims that he was “screwed” out of his fight with Cejudo.
Cruz officially retired from competition last year after suffering another serious shoulder injury. The longtime Bantamweight great is also scheduled to be inducted into the 2026 UFC Hall of Fame during International Fight Week later this summer.