UFC Seattle is cursed! The 252nd iteration of the Fight Night format is off to a disastrous start, and Dana White just can’t seem to catch a break. The UFC is no stranger to last-minute withdrawals and fight cancellations, but this card is taking things to an entirely new level. After already losing Rob Font vs. Dominick Cruz, Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev, and Edson Barboza vs. Steve Garcia, another bout has now been scrapped—Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira is officially off the card. The setbacks just keep piling up!

MMA Fighting’s senior reporter Damon Martin broke the unfortunate news on X, writing, “The hits just keep on coming for #UFCSeattle. Macy Chiasson is injured and her fight against Ketlen Vieira has been removed from the card, per UFC officials. UFC also confirmed Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev is moving to #UFC313.”

Additionally, multiple sources confirmed to MMA Fighting that Edson Barboza withdrew from his fight against Steve Garcia due to an undisclosed injury. It remains to be seen whether Garcia will remain on the card with a new opponent. Now, with Chiasson also injured, the card has taken yet another hit.

Adding to the horror, the card has suffered even more losses, with Abdul Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli and Adam Fugitt vs. Islam Dulalov both getting scrapped due to Trocoli and Dulalov’s respective injuries.

However, amid all the cancellations, the promotion has managed to add two new fights to UFC Fight Night 252. Alonzo Menifield (15-5-1) vs. Julius Walker (6-0) – A light heavyweight showdown and Nursulton Ruziboev (34-9-2, 2 NC) vs. Eric McConico (9-2-1) – A middleweight battle.

To add to the shake-up, Dominick Cruz has officially confirmed his retirement from MMA after withdrawing from his scheduled fight against Rob Font due to injury. Let’s have a look at the legendary career of one of the best to ever do it!

Dominick Cruz: A career marred by setbacks

Dominick Cruz’s UFC journey was never smooth sailing, and injuries played a massive role in shaping his career. According to Ovin Vithanage’s stats on X, ‘The Dominator’ has been in the UFC since 2011, yet injuries kept him sidelined for a staggering 3,715 days—that’s over 10 years, 2 months, and 1 day away from competition.

Despite holding an impressive 24-4 MMA record, including 7 UFC wins, one can’t help but wonder—what if he had stayed healthy? Would he have cemented himself as an even greater legend? Cruz’s injury struggles date back to August 2010 at WEC 50, when he broke his hand in a fight against Joseph Benavidez. Fast forward to 2014, after an impressive win over Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178, Dana White announced Cruz would challenge T.J. Dillashaw for the bantamweight title. However, an ACL injury in his right knee kept him out of action for most of 2015.

Despite the setbacks, he made a triumphant return in 2016, defeating Dillashaw via split decision to reclaim the title. But injuries struck again—he missed UFC 219 due to a broken arm, and now, yet another shoulder injury has forced him to retire before his UFC Seattle bout against Rob Font.

Cruz recently revealed that during training, his shoulder dislocated again, this time with severe consequences. The injury forced him to make a life-changing decision: continue fighting and risk losing mobility in his arm, or step away from the sport. Reflecting on that moment, he described it as a “find Jesus” realization, making him ask himself a tough question—“What’s the price of my arm?”

In his heartfelt retirement statement, he said, “I was really hopeful for one final fight, but unfortunately, two shoulder dislocations in eight months have brought my career to an end…. Thank you to the [UFC] for building this platform and paving the way for fighters like myself and so many others.”

With six fights now off the card, UFC Seattle is in serious trouble. What will Dana White do to salvage this event? Will we see last-minute replacements, or is the UFC prepared to take a big hit on this one? Drop your thoughts below!