Losing is never easy, but losing because of someone else’s mistake? That’s exactly what former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz faced six years ago. At UFC 249 in 2020, during his title fight against Henry Cejudo, Cejudo dropped Cruz with a knee in the second round. Consequently, referee Keith Peterson stopped the fight, awarded Cejudo a knockout, and etched his name into UFC history inside an empty venue. After six years of public animosity, a surprising photo posted last week suggests the long-running feud may have taken an unexpected turn.

Following the fight, ‘The Dominator’ argued that the stoppage came too early, as he believed he was still defending himself. He criticized Keith Peterson’s call as a complete failure. Furthermore, tensions escalated after the fight when the UFC commentator accused Peterson of drinking “alcohol” and even asked the commission to have the veteran referee “drug tested.” Peterson, however, denied the allegations. Over the years, the conflict lingered until last week, when the two finally reconciled at UFC Vegas 114. Cruz even shared a photo with Peterson and added a warm caption.

 “You can run—but you can’t hide,” wrote Dominick Cruz on Instagram.

Cruz’s recent move was enough to surprise many fans. In fact, just last September, during an interview with Demetrious Johnson, Dominick Cruz strongly criticized referee Keith Peterson. In that conversation, the commentator accused Peterson of having “completely failed” as a referee and also claimed the official had failed on “multiple occasions.” Cruz even called Peterson a “weak human” for taking an opportunity away from him.

Peterson has faced controversy during his refereeing career as well. For example, one notable case came at UFC 309 during the co-main event between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira, where some fans accused him of allowing Chandler to get away with multiple illegal shots to the back of the head.

Still, despite those past tensions and allegations, Cruz’s recent change in attitude shows a different side of him today. The former champion now appears to be shifting from a fighter’s mindset toward a businessman’s role in the sport. In his caption, ‘The Dominator’ even indirectly invited Peterson to join him on his Apple and YouTube podcast, “Love and War with Dominick Cruz.”

Whatever the reason behind the commentator burying the rivalry with the veteran referee, Peterson is not the only rival with whom Cruz has made peace. In fact, years earlier, Cruz also built one of the UFC’s most intense rivalries with Urijah Faber.

The two fighters faced each other three times during their careers, and their rivalry stretched over nearly nine years. Each fight carried heated tension, with verbal jabs traded back and forth with clear disrespect. However, the duo eventually buried their differences, and Cruz even invited Faber to appear on his podcast, where the UFC legend spoke more about his problematic personality.

UFC veteran Dominick Cruz reveals how childhood struggles influenced his fiery personality

Throughout his career, ‘The Dominator’ also built several intense rivalries with fellow fighters. His heated feuds with Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo, particularly following their clash at UFC 249, remain some of the most memorable moments of his career. Still, Dominick Cruz’s rivalry with Urijah Faber stands out as one of the most well-documented feuds in UFC history.

The two fighters met three times inside the Octagon, and Cruz won two of those bouts. While Faber often maintained a calm and composed personality, the ex-champ, on the other hand, carried a sharper and more confrontational edge during their rivalry.

However, Cruz has explained that his upbringing largely shaped his personality. During a podcast appearance with Urijah Faber last year, Dominick Cruz spoke about his childhood and explained that his father’s addiction and absence forced him to grow up quickly and take on responsibilities at a very young age. He helped care for his mother and support the rest of his family, and those experiences played a major role in shaping his aggressive mindset and the way he approaches life.

“I didn’t know, but I had a lot of toxic traits from that with my dad,” Cruz said. “I became very codependent, and a lot of weird habits, and love wasn’t safe for me. It was never safe. So I wouldn’t allow myself to say it and the second I started to feel it, I would get more angry and more mad and I would lock deeper into fighting and shut you out more. Anybody that was around that was loving or wanted relationships or depth with me.”

With Dominick Cruz now appearing to mend old rivalries one after another, it raises an interesting question. Who do you think he might reconcile with next? Share your thoughts below.