Issue 136

December 2015

Dominick Cruz’s last comeback was cut short, but this time he’s ready to show the world there’s no better bantamweight.

It's the sight every true MMA fan has been waiting for: Dominick Cruz, back in the gym, preparing for a world championship fight. The last few years have been tough for the 30-year-old due to a plague of serious injuries, but now, finally, he’s ready to return and re-establish the grip he once had on the bantamweight division. On the cusp of his Octagon comeback, he discusses his four-year journey back to the title, and how he’ll give UFC 135lb champion TJ Dillashaw the beating of his life to get it.

It's a long way to the top

Dominick Cruz has done it all in MMA. The last-ever WEC bantamweight champion became the first man to take possession of the UFC 135lb belt and established himself as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world – all by the time he was just 25.

But just as the Alliance MMA star broke out as the torchbearer for his weight class, the first in catalog of injury woes ruled him out of action. A torn ACL in May 2012 meant he needed surgery and would be ruled out for at least nine months. His layoff was extended that December when issues with the same knee forced him to go under the knife again.

A little over a year later he tore his groin and was sidelined once more. He had no choice but to vacate his title and could only to watch on as Renan Barao was declared the undisputed champion, before TJ Dillashaw claimed the crown for himself. 

When he was finally ready to return in September last year, Cruz needed to get his feet wet in the Octagon before he was booked into a five-round championship showdown. It had been 1,092 days since he’d last competed, and although he had no doubts about his combat skills, he needed to reintroduce himself to the feeling of fighting again.

“What I was wary of for that first fight, what I needed to feel, was being in the limelight again,” he explains to FO. “Something gets announced and you’re famous overnight again. You’ve got to get used to that, that’s a weird thing. Who do I go to talk to about that? Who do I go share thoughts with about that? You don’t. It’s just a feeling-out process. 

“I needed to go in there and compete for myself and feel it again and see how much I enjoyed it. I needed to cut the weight again. I needed to put my body through hell again.”

The Tuscon, Arizona native drew top-10 bantamweight Takaya Mizugaki for his comeback contest. A former WEC title challenger, the Japanese fighter was a tenured and highly-respected part of the 135lb roster, with skills to test any opponent. But that’s exactly what Cruz wanted

“I was happy to piece everything together and go against a top-notch guy who’d been on a five-fight winning streak,” he says. “The guy wasn’t just some slouch. This guy had been beating people for a while. He’d been up and down the division fighting some of the best and he’s not an easy guy to finish. That was a good challenge for me.”

It was a challenge on paper, but in reality, it looked like Mizugaki didn’t belong in the same cage. Despite his lengthy layoff, Cruz showed off his trademark unorthodox movement to cut an angle and hit an explosive takedown inside a minute, before hammering the Japanese standout into unconsciousness. His rehabilitation was complete. Next stop: TJ Dillashaw and the bantamweight belt.

A bump in the road

Once Cruz had erased Mizugaki, the decision to book him in for an immediate title shot against Dillashaw was a no-brainer. But three months after the announcement, tragedy struck again. Cruz destroyed the ACL in his other knee, and set himself up for another lengthy spell on the shelf. This time, however, he knew what it took to get back, so he put his head down and started his rehab.

“It’s funny. You know how they say practice makes perfect? Well I’m getting really good at understanding what it feels like to blow your knee out,” he says with a smile. “Come the third time, I knew I did it right away. I was taking it easy but my knee had enough I guess, and it just popped. 

“All I could do was sit down on the ring, look at Eric (Del Fierro) and say, ‘Alright, I blew my other knee out.’ I was just like, ‘Here we go again.’ What can you do? I’m not the only guy in the world to do this. Injuries are just part of the game when you’re at the top.”

Yet another devastating setback would have tested the resolve of most men, but Cruz actually found a positive spin. Though he’s been inactive for many of his peak athletic years, he’s still only 30, and after being forced to keep his body out of harm’s way, he believes his MMA career may eventually benefit from his layoffs. A few years outside the Octagon may have given his body and brain the ability to withstand a few more years of the stresses of mixed martial arts.

“I’ve had 21 fights and I did them in a very quick period of time. My body never broke down, then it just literally had enough. I’ve given it the rest it’s needed over four years – I haven’t been taking abuse. My body’s been taken care of and I’ve been taking care of my brain,” he says.

“Who’s to say that didn’t (make me better)? There is no equation for this thing. There are guys who didn’t even start mixed martial arts until they were in their late 20s, or even their 30s like Randy Couture, and he fought until his 40s because of that.

“As long as my knees are strong, that’s what matters, and they are. I’m confident and I just keep piecing together these practices and my body will build itself back up into championship form. The beautiful thing is my brain is far beyond championship form at this point. I just have to build my body around it. Most people have the other problem.”

Eyes on the prize

We’re now almost a year removed from that third knee injury and Cruz is back to full training again with a healthy body and a healthy mind. But this time there’ll be no more waiting and no tune-up for his scheduled return in January. He’s the number-one contender and the title match has been booked. He’s ready to fight the champion.

“What would be the point in taking a fight before that if I already did that with Mizugaki? We saw how that went. I don’t see the point. I’m ready for five rounds and that’s all that really matters… Three years is a long time, but nine months is a different thing. That’s why I’m going straight into the title,” he says.

And the man he’s due to meet in the Octagon on January 17th is TJ Dillashaw. The champion has been vocal in his criticism of his opponent, stating he “hits like a little b**ch” and he’ll “knock him the f**k out” in the opening rounds. But Cruz hardly seems bothered by the smack talk that’s directed at him. Although, that’s not to say he won’t respond with his fists.

“TJ’s just getting a little cocky and he needs to be humbled,” Cruz responds. “Dillashaw’s talking about knocking me out in two rounds like an emotional, silly guy. The guy’s got to sell himself. His ticket sales are the proof. The guy sells nothing. I’ve headlined some of the biggest shows in UFC for the bantamweight division in the past before I got hurt. I was helping to pave the way and he can’t sell anything.

“He’s got to say what got to say, he’s got to talk crap. He’s got to tell himself he’s going to knock me out faster than Barao. Come on TJ, Joe Soto went five rounds with you. Yeah, he finished him at the end but come on man, how are you going to say you’re going to knock me out in two rounds? 

“Speak about facts. Stop talking like another silly guy speaking of the top of your head. He’s got to be real with himself and understand my defense rate is higher than his. He’s added more tools to his offense, OK, great; he wants to try them out. Try them out and see what happens. I’m excited for it.” 

The contest has also generated quite a bit of buzz because of the clash of styles. The approach to combat Dillashaw has developed under the tutelage of Duane Ludwig has drawn comparisons to the man he will defend his title against. Cruz trashed these comparisons and branded his foe as “nothing but a wannabe.” But is there anything he appreciates about the champion’s style of fighting?

“Of course,” he explains. “If you watch me on Fox as an analyst I break down TJ Dillashaw better than anyone in the sport. If you want to see me talk about how good TJ Dillashaw is, watch me on Fox Sports. I’ll explain it to everyone as plain as day what he does well and I have no problem admitting that.”

“TJ is no easy fight,” he adds. “I’m not saying he’s easy to fight, he’s saying I’m easy to fight. I’m going to be smart enough and say it’s not going to be an easy fight, but I am going to say I’m going to school him. If I need to do it for five rounds I’ll do it for five rounds – hopefully I get the finish before that. I’ll tell you what, he’s going to wish I finished him in two rather than beat the crap out of him and embarrass him for five.”

The future

Fast forward to that January night in Boston, and if all goes to plan for Cruz, he’ll emerge healthy, having beaten TJ Dillashaw and with bantamweight gold wrapped back around his weight. But what next? Has he had his eye on any old rivals or new contenders? “First of all, it’s not if I beat TJ Dillashaw, it’s when I beat TJ Dillashaw,” he says. “That’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now.

“I’m just focused on being at the top of the division. I’ve been out for so long, there’s nothing else that makes sense to me except being the best. That’s it. I’ve done everything already. I’ve won titles. I’m coming back to the sport to be the best, not just to compete.”

There is no denying Cruz’s conviction. Now the world just has to wait to see if he can stay healthy and shake off the ring rust so he can back up his claims and return as the same unstoppable force that collected championships for fun. He’s done it once before after three years out of action. Doing it again after just a year should be easy, right?

Defensive master

At 76.46 percent, Dominick Cruz boasts the most effective significant strike defense in the entire UFC. And with champion TJ Dillashaw claiming the most effective striking at 135lb – averaging 5.81 strikes per minute – January’s title matchup is set up as a true MMA chess match. The bantamweight division’s most efficient banger vs. the organization’s most elusive counter striker.

Alpha fail: Shouldn’t Cruz fight Faber next?

If there’s one man many fans want to see Cruz fight more than Dillashaw, it’s the champ’s former mentor, Urijah Faber. 

The Team Alpha Male leader developed a heated rivalry with Cruz between two fights and a season of coaching on The Ultimate Fighter. 

But they were never able to face off for a rubber match because of Cruz’s injury woes. So, now Cruz is healthy again, what are our chances of finally seeing a follow up to the biggest fight in 135lb history? 

“I should be fighting him (now), but Faber is so scared and so worried about making friends with everybody that he won’t fight TJ Dillashaw,” Cruz says. “He doesn’t want to be the big brother that gets beat by the guy he used to teach. 

“Faber’s supposed to be some sort of alpha, so he couldn’t risk losing to the guy he brought up in the sport. He’s got too much pride for that. It would break him to lose to TJ Dillashaw. He will never fight him. 

“While Faber’s running around making friends with Conor McGregor, I’m going to go and win a belt. He can keep making friends and keep worrying about politics and trying to sell things like a car salesman, and I’m going to go in there and do my job and fight people. 

“Faber is not in the equation because he took himself out of the equation. The only person who stopped himself was him. Why is Faber not fighting TJ for the belt he never got? Why would you not lobby for the title of the division, but you still want to fight me? It just doesn’t make sense.”

Analyze this! Giving fans the facts 

Though Cruz’s Twitter bio says he makes random guesses for Fox, he’s actually one of the most accomplished analysts in the game. He uses his exceptional fight IQ to make astute calls on the biggest fights. 

“Everybody is trying to figure it out, ‘What do you think makes him good?’ Why can’t I just be that smart? Nobody ever thought of that. I’m the best at breaking down fighters and seeing what they do and knowing what they’re going to do before they do it,” says Cruz.

“There’s a reason I go into a fight for five rounds and don’t get hit: because I know what’s going to happen before it happens. That’s why I’m a good analyst, and that’s why I’m going to beat TJ Dillashaw.”

He adds: “I love doing it. I get to talk about fighting, which is what I do anyway. What I do on TV is what I would be doing with my coaches at home; it’s just now shared with the public.”

Not everyone is a fan of his often-cutting criticism. But the fact he doesn’t mince his words, he says, is just another reason why he’s the top pundit in MMA.  

“Saying things in black and white is what people like, or hate. I say what I think and I say it how I want to say it because I want to be real. I don’t want to be selling a product, telling you something so you like me. That’s what a lot of fighters are doing – they’re not actually themselves. 

“Just be yourself, be real and let it all hang out. That’s what I do on Fox and I feel that is the easiest approach to teaching people about mixed martial arts. It’s not about anything except the facts when it comes to a fight.”