The world is won by the man who lets it go. – Dominick Cruz
The former UFC bantamweight champion speaks with sophistication, with a refined sense of purpose learned through mental anguish and physical struggle alike.
Three years ago, the 29-year-old Alliance MMA superstar ruled the 135-pound collective, combining furious footwork and tenacious takedowns with a relentless gas tank that overwhelmed, frustrated and destroyed his opponents. He was a menace, but all his success was soon to be wiped away for the time being.
After coaching Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite his longtime rival, Urijah Faber, Cruz strolled into the biggest fight of his life, a trilogy match with The California Kid himself. The two had split their career series at one apiece, and this fight would settle the score and establish one as the other’s superior for good.
But just before the fight, Cruz tore his ACL, sparking a tumble down a spiral staircase of injuries that would claim three prime years of his fighting life, forcing him to vacate his precious bantamweight strap.
For some perspective on just how far back the forest this road winds, the last time Cruz fought, Demetrious Johnson challenged him for the 135-pound title at UFC Live 6: Cruz vs. Johnson on Versus TV (now the NBC Sports Network).
Demetrious Johnson is now the UFC flyweight champion, and he’s defended his title four times, fighting seven times overall since losing to Cruz at that event.
Despite the lengthy layoff, Cruz is confident in his preparations and his abilities. During his time off, he’s enjoyed intense periods of inward reflection, of learning who he is and what he’s really about, and he expects these exercises in self-awareness to pay immense dividends once the cage door finally closes Saturday, Sept. 27 at UFC 178.
“What I got from the whole situation was learning patience, learning to let go of control,” Cruz told Bleacher Report. “The world is won by the man who lets it go. I had to let go of control of my life, because, really, I had to rebuild myself from scratch.
“Through this time, I’ve become a more mentally strong human being, a more patient human being, and I’ve learned to become a better man in myself. Now I have all that to add to the fact that I still have the fighting skills I never lost, and I get to add that to the things that I want to do on my resume.”
Of course, for Cruz, getting to the point where he could express his sentiments in the ever-so-slightly-twisted words of a lauded Chinese philosopher was not easy. It had its hardships and its setbacks, starting with his own realization that Dominick Cruz the fighter did not necessarily capture the entirety of Dominick Cruz the human being.
“For a long time, I felt like my identity was to fight. My identity was to be a world champion,” Cruz said. “That almost defined me. Then, over the course of these last three years, I really found that had nothing to do with me. All that was was just something that I did, and I’m happy that I’ve had to go through this, because I’ve had to learn a new piece of myself. I had to find a new piece of myself, take away what I thought defined me completely out of my life, and I had to redefine myself.”
During the course of his recovery from the multitude of injuries that wrecked his body and temporarily put his career on hold, Cruz did not sit idly by and lament his situation. There was the initial heartbreak and uncertainty, of course, but he quickly got over that. He discovered what really mattered to him, and he emerged a better human being for his efforts, broadening his horizons and uncovering an inherent knack for breaking down fights as a Fox Sports analyst while also becoming a more devoted community member and training partner.
“I feel that I fell somewhat under that category where I was using fighting to kind of run from my own self to an extent, to kind of numb the things that I thought about myself,” Cruz said. “When I had fighting taken away, I was forced to look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘What are you without fighting? What are you without being a champion? What are you without being able to train every single day to numb whatever you’re trying to run from?’
“What I found out is that what I needed was to do that, to look at myself in the mirror and to recreate myself, find a new person inside me,” he continued. “And I’ve done that. I’ve been able to become an analyst over this time, learn more about fighting. I was able to help coach and help my teammates become better athletes. I was able to get involved in some charity stuff and help others with their lives. I was able to build my relationship with god closer. There were so many things I’ve been able to switch my hats on and really focus on something other than beating people up for a living, and it’s just really changed me. Now I can add that to the fact that I also get to fight, I get to re-live my passion all over again.”
Suddenly, it becomes clear that The Dominator could not be trumped by acts of misfortune. A lesser fighter would have fallen out of the cart during this roller-coaster ride, but Cruz begged it to take him through another corkscrew. He’s ready, and the experience will only make him more fearless.
“This whole process has literally taught me that fighting does not define me. It’s not who I am,” Cruz said. “It’s just a piece of what I do, and I love to do it. So, for one second I never thought I wasn’t going to fight. I just had to turn off the switch for a little while, switch hats, and I did it with every ounce of myself.”
Now facing streaking bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178, Cruz finds himself right back among the wolves, right where he belongs. Mizugaki boasts an impressive five-fight winning streak, and a win over Cruz will undoubtedly propel him to a No. 1 contender’s bout or, even better, the title shot itself.
Cruz recognizes the threat posed by his foe, and he scoffs at the notion the he should have expected anything less for his return to the eight-sided battle chamber.
“Only in boxing is there such thing as a tune-up fight where they’ll give a guy who’s 30-0 somebody who’s got like six losses on his record, and he goes in there and beats the crap out of him to make himself feel better before he goes in there against a contender,” Cruz said. “Well, in the sport of mixed martial arts, I’ve been out for three years, and I’m facing a guy who’s won five fights in a row and he’s really looking at a No. 1 contender’s spot, realistically, in the next two fights anyway.
“So, where is the tune-up in that whatsoever? And even if they did give me a so-called tune-up fight, who would it be in the 135-pound division? Who in the 135-pound division would you look at and say, ‘That guy would be a good tune-up for Dominick Cruz’? You couldn’t. You literally couldn’t say that.”
When he steps into the cage to accept this challenge, Cruz will enter into unfamiliar territory. Not only is this his first fight in years, it’s his first three-round bout since WEC 42 in August 2009. Already known for his remarkable cardio, Cruz expects this factor to weigh heavily in his favor, allowing him to push his body’s physical limits for the bout’s duration without a problem.
“I’m going to be able to sprint through this fight from beginning to end without a problem,” Cruz said. “That’s a promise.”
Once the sprint commences and his hand is raised, Cruz already knows what to expect next.
“I expect a title shot, yes,” Cruz said.
And with the title comes a line of challengers, a never-ending cycle of faces—some fresh, some more familiar—to greet him with a smile and a clenched fist. Among the latter group, those old friends from years past, is Mr. Faber, and Cruz realizes they still have business to attend to.
“Somehow I feel like you can’t count Faber out,” Cruz said. “Actually, there’s no ‘somehow’ about it. That guy’s top in the division, top three in the division at any given point. He’s not going anywhere. I can almost guarantee you that at some point you’re going to see me and Urijah Faber fight again.”
Before that, though, Cruz has a different foe ahead of him, and it’s not a Japanese standout looking to take him out Saturday evening. It’s himself, the former champ who was utterly consumed by the fight game, never stepping outside of his shell to breathe the air outside the steel cage.
Despite his undeniable mental triumphs, that person is still a part of Cruz; try as people may, they cannot simply discard the past. But they can reflect, they can move on and they can prepare themselves as best as possible for the next trial atop the hill of life.
If one thing is clear in this sea of uncertainty, Cruz has done that much ahead of UFC 178. He’s mentally there. Now it’s time to put the tires to the pavement and take off.
“I feel like myself, but the truth is, 2011 is three, four years ago, whatever, it doesn’t even really matter,” Cruz said. “I’m ready to live in the present, not the past, and not in the future, because in the present is where there’s peace. To find peace, I’m just living in the now, and right now I’m fighting Takeya Mizugaki, and it’s not for the title, it’s not five rounds, it’s three rounds, so it really just doesn’t matter (how I feel compared to my 2011 self).”
Join 2011-era Cruz in the past, torn ACL. Join 2011-era Cruz in the past, torn groin. Join 2011-era Cruz in the past, one-sided, obsessive fight fanatic.
He’s moving on, and you’re simply not welcome where he’s going.
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