Dominick Cruz To Be Sponsored By Speedway Upon His Return

Dominick Cruz, the UFC bantamweight champion, has secured a sponsorship for his yet-to-be-determined next fight. Phoenix International Raceway, which hosted a NASCAR Sprint Cup race over the weekend, has agreed to sponsor Cruz.

Cruz served as the honorary pace car driver for the AdvoCare 500 on Sunday, and is already scheduled to do the same again in March when the track hosts the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500.

"We are very excited to be sponsoring Dominick Cruz in his upcoming championship fight to retain the UFC bantamweight title," said PIR president Bryan R. Sperber. "We believe this is the first time that a track has sponsored a UFC fighter and the fact that Dominick is both an Arizonan and a NASCAR fan made this a great opportunity for us to support him in regaining his belt."

Cruz is expected to meet Renan Barao, who won the interim title earlier this year when he defeated Urijah Faber. Cruz was sidelined with a knee injury suffered in training. He said it will "be an honor to wear the PIR logo on my trunks when I step into the Octagon."

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