Dominick Cruz: UFC 249 Ref Keith Peterson 'Smelled Like Alcohol and Cigarettes'

Dominick Cruz didn't take too kindly to referee Keith Peterson stopping his bantamweight championship fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 249 on Saturday night. 

In a post-fight interview after his loss (h/t MMA Fighting's Damon Martin), Cruz said Peterson "smelled like alcohol and cigarettes."

Peterson called for a stoppage in the final seconds of the second round when Cejudo landed a flurry of kicks and punches on Cruz. 

It was a questionable stoppage because Cruz appeared to be working his way back to his feet at the time of the stoppage. 

“I mean I’m not happy with the stoppage obviously because I specifically asked the ref to let me go ‘til I was out and I was standing up," Cruz told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview inside the Octagon. 

The loss marked Cruz's second consecutive defeat in a bantamweight title bout, though the last one occurred nearly four years ago due to a series of injuries. He previously lost to Cody Garbrandt in December 2016.