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          Former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz to fight Casey Kenney at UFC 259, sources say

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          Kenney snaps Wood's head back with punch (0:20)

          Casey Kenney lands a strong left hook that stuns Nathaniel Wood in the third round at UFC 254. (0:20)

          • Ariel Helwani, ESPN Staff WriterDec 5, 2020, 09:35 PM
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              Ariel Helwani is an MMA reporter at ESPN. Follow him on Twitter at @arielhelwani.

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          Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is returning to action in March.

          Cruz (22-3), 35, has agreed to fight up-and-comer Casey Kenney (16-2-1) at UFC 259 on March 6, sources told ESPN. MMAJunkie.com first reported the news.

          The fight will mark Cruz's first nontitle bout in more than six years. He last fought in May, when he lost to then-bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo via second-round TKO. That was Cruz's first fight in 3½ years. His last victory came in June 2016 at UFC 199 versus rival Urijah Faber.

          Cruz, a former WEC 135-pound champion as well, has been dealing with a litany of leg and upper body injuries for almost 10 years.

          Kenney, 29, has won three fights in a row and five of six in the UFC. He most recently defeated Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision in October.

          The event doesn't have a headliner just yet, nor does it have a confirmed location.