Dominick Cruz Accused His UFC 249 Referee Of Foul Smells During Title-Fight

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was denied in his bid to win the title back Saturday night at UFC 249 vs. Henry Cejudo. The co-main event bout was stopped with just two seconds left in the second round, much to the dismay of Cruz.

After immediately protesting the stoppage, Cruz voiced his displeasure with referee Keith Peterson during a post-fight interview with Megan Olivi.

"The guy smelled like alcohol and cigarettes so who knows what he was doing," Cruz said. "I wish they drug tested (the referees). I know Herb Dean is good. He's one of the best refs. Immediately when I saw (Peterson) I was like, 'man, is there a way to veto a ref and get a new one?' I wondered that."

Cruz also stated inside the Octagon after the fight that he "specifically asked the ref to make sure he let me take the shots I needed to and if I'm standing up on my way up" let the fight continue.

"But hats off to Henry, I've got no excuses," he added. "I shouldn't have gotten caught with that knee the way that I got caught and that's what put me in that position."

Cejudo, meanwhile, announced his retirement following the bout, leaving the division in flux for the time being.