One of the biggest names is mixed martial arts is back in his Tucson hometown. UFC fighter Dominick Cruz did a meet and greet today with fans in Marana. The bantamweight champion graduated from Flowing Wells High School in 2003. He credits a lot of his success to his coaches here in Tucson.
From blows to the head to tackles on the ground, Dominick Cruz is the Ultimate Fighting Champion. The Tucson native hosted a meet and greet with fans at Native Grill and Wings.
"This is where my family is," said Cruz. "This is where I grew up so when I come here it's just good to catch up with everybody."
During high school, Cruz was a standout athlete on the football field and wrestling mat.
"Something about wrestling, while everyone is eating lunch I'm out running laps trying to keep my weight down. You just sacrifice so much more than doing the sport, to make weight, to stay fit, stay in shape to win titles, so it just teaches you a lot about toughness, mental toughness, and sacrifice."
When he's back in Tucson, he doesn't forget where it all began.
"I used to work with coach Weber, I still talk to him. Smurf, these are all guys from Flowing Wells high school. These are all guys that brought me up in the sport of wrestling and i don't forget my roots that's why I'm here."
