You probably know Plinio Cruz as the coach, translator and best friend of two-division champion Alex Pereira. But before he was attached at the hip to “Poatan,” Cruz was also an MMA fighter… and could fight again in the fall.
“Big Daddy” Cruz fought from 2008 to 2019, earning an 8-9 record with stints in Bellator, M-1 Global and Cage Fury. Like Pereira, he began his career at middleweight and moved up to heavyweight over the years, even competing a few times at super heavyweight. Now he is considering returning to competition at 40 years old.
Advertisement
“I turned 40 and started losing weight here, relaxing,” Cruz said in a video on Alex Pereira’s YouTube channel. “I started training and ‘Poatan’ started talking to me about fighting again. Then I said that the offer has to be good for me to put my cigarette on the table and sign the contract. Then came a good offer that we are negotiating with Misfits. So the most likely thing is that I will be fighting for the Misfits belt at the end of the American summer, which would be between August and September.”
“So I’ll prepare ‘Poatan’, help him become a champion, then it’s dad’s turn, right? Stay tuned, dad’s back.”
Advertisement
Alex Pereira will fight Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on the big UFC card at the White House on June 14 in what could be a historic night for the Brazilians. No fighter has ever held UFC belts in three different divisions. Even if it is an interim period, it is still a great achievement for Pereira and Cruz.
A Misfits belt is less prestigious, but anything that gets Cruz more money is fine with us. Misfits currently lists only one MMA fighter on its website: Dillon Danis, who is the Misfits MMA champion. Danis previously agreed to fight Eddie Hall at 400 pounds, so perhaps Cruz could step in? Or maybe there will be a new heavyweight MMA division, or we could see Cruz try his hand at boxing? The Misfits heavyweight boxing belt is currently held by “Mr. Belt To Ass” Chase DeMoor.
With Alex Pereira at UFC White House, his little sister Aline Pereira at MVP MMA 1 and now Plinio Cruz at Misfits, Team Pereira is really taking over combat sports.