Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, is working his way back to the Octagon after suffering a devastating shoulder injury back in late 2018, one that cost him a 135-pound showdown opposite John Lineker.
Now, “The Dominator” is documenting his long and winding road to recovery on social media, featuring a variety of different training techniques, along with some traditional (and non-traditional) forms of healing.
That includes the above pic of Hijama, also known as cupping, a form of bloodletting that continues to be debated in both the medical and scientific communities. So, as you might expect, it continues to be debated among fans, as well.
“One of the most intelligent fighters can get sucked in by woo woo pseudoscience,” wrote Mike_The_Dad.
“This is silly, pointless nonsense. There’s no evidence this works and it’s pretty much been proven to be a ridiculous fad. But, hey, why not if you have the money?” according to SlowMotion17.
“It’s a pseudoscience, it literally does nothing but leave a bad hickie lmao,” added CarlitosWay0069.
“Cupping is like Santa for adults,” said HawkFightTalk.
Hey, at least one fan was supportive.
“You can see that it’s doing something,” said Seismic_T0ss. “Athletes all over the world use this technique. They can’t all be wrong.”
I guess we’ll see how well that shoulder holds up as the No. 6-ranked Cruz gears up for his 2020 return, though it’s hard to say where he fits into the current title picture, now that Henry Cejudo has upset the 135-pound apple cart.