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UFC 249: Dominick Cruz accuses UFC referee of being intoxicated during fight with Henry Cejudo

By Amy Kaplan

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MAY 09: Henry Cejudo (top) of the United States punches Dominick Cruz (bottom) of the United States on the ground in their bantamweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - MAY 09: Henry Cejudo (top) of the United States punches Dominick Cruz (bottom) of the United States on the ground in their bantamweight title fight during UFC 249 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on May 09, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /
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Former champion, Dominick Cruz has accused UFC referee Keith Peterson, of being intoxicated during his UFC 249 fight with Henry Cejudo.

Former champion, Dominick Cruz, has made a stunning accusation against the referee charged with overseeing his title fight with Henry Cejudo at UFC 249 on Saturday night. Cruz spoke with Megan Olivi shortly after the bout which saw him stopped in the second round with just two seconds remaining. He accused veteran referee Keith Peterson of smelling of alcohol.

“You’re rocked. Sometimes you get hit. I’ve been in those positions many, many times though,” Cruz said. “I had seconds left in the round and I just think that sometimes I wish there was a way to keep these refs a little more responsible sometimes.

“The guy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes so who knows what he was doing?”

“I wish they drug tested them,” he said. “I know Herb Dean is good. He’s one of the best refs. Immediately when I saw that ref, I was like man is there a way to veto a ref and get a new one? I wonder that. As fighters do we have that choice? I wish we did.”

Cruz was returning to the Octagon for the first time since he lost his title to Cody Garbrandt three years ago. Some fans and media felt the stoppage was early as he was trying to get back to his feet and there were just two seconds left in the round. On the other hand, Cruz was dropped and clearly rocked and had eaten more than 10 unanswered strikes.

The fans had a field day creating memes based on Cruz’s accusations.

https://twitter.com/smokeyjmma/status/1259471272913723393?s=20

https://twitter.com/smokeyjmma/status/1259500317298683904?s=20

Shortly after the bout, Cejudo announced his retirement from the sport.

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UFC 249 took place on May 9, 2020, live from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Follow along with FanSided MMA for all your UFC news and highlights.

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