#Dominick cruz tv#

I've been able to become an analyst over this time, learn more about fighting. '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. '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?' '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. 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. There was the initial heartbreak and uncertainty, of course, but he quickly got over that.

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.'ĭuring 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. 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. Then, over the course of these last three years, I really found that had nothing to do with me. My identity was to be a world champion,' Cruz said. 'For a long time, I felt like my identity was to fight. 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. 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. 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.' '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. I had to let go of control of my life, because, really, I had to rebuild myself from scratch. 'The world is won by the man who lets it go.

'What I got from the whole situation was learning patience, learning to let go of control,' Cruz told Bleacher Report. 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.

#Dominick cruz tv#

Johnson on Versus TV (now the NBC Sports Network).ĭemetrious 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.ĭespite the lengthy layoff, Cruz is confident in his preparations and his abilities. 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.įor 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.