Dominick Cruz Shoots Down Retirement Talk: I’m Not Going To Allow It To Stop Me
When former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz unveiled the devastating news that he had torn his right ACL yesterday (Mon., December 22, 2014), several ominous uncertainties popped up about “The Dominator’s” career.
After all, he only just returned to the Octagon with a thrilling first-round finish of Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178 after nearly three years off recovering from a similar injury to his left knee. When it came out that Cruz would be unable to face champion TJ Dillashaw in 2015, many were calling for Cruz’s retirement.
But “The Dominator” wasn’t having any of it during a media conference call (quotes via MMA Fighting), choosing to take the high road and compare his situation to that of people who definitely have it much worse than he does:
“There’s people that are waking up — God bless them — but they wake up one day and they have cancer and they didn’t expect it. They can sit there and say, ‘Why did this happen to me, there’s a million people in the world, but I’m the one who gets cancer?’
But what does that really solve to think that way? It doesn’t do anything. All it does is stress you out and make you think, ‘Woe is me, I’m the only one who’s got the problem.’ I’m not thinking that way. There are people out there going through so much worse and they need support and they need help.”
Cruz was clear in his affirmation that he wouldn’t retirement, deeming it the gutless way out. At only 26 years old, he believes it’s time to have the surgery (which he will in January) and focus on his physical therapy:
“For me to retire, for me to think about stopping and to not put my head down and do the [physical therapy] is absolutely insane to me, because this is what I want to do.
It’s another mountain to climb. I’m fully capable of handling this mountain. I have all the tools, I have the age and I have the mindset to handle this.”
The iron mindset of Cruz shone through in his words, as he asked just why he couldn’t come back and fight again. After his previous surgeries on his left knee, he said he’d have two new knees to work with when he does return:
“Why can’t I do it? Why can’t I come back and be stronger than ever? There’s no question I can do it, in my mind. I truly, truly believe after I get my right knee fixed, it’ll be stronger than it was before. It’s basically like getting two brand new knees.”
While the injuries will obviously have their effect on Cruz’s prime, he proved he can return from even worse ailments a few short months ago. He looked arguably near the best we’ve ever seen him at UFC 178, and that was coming in off a multi-year bout with a cadaver’s tendon that didn’t take and a torn groin muscle, not exactly two injuries for the weak-hearted.
Cruz stayed positive by being thankful for the jobs he still has in his beloved sport of MMA:
“Realistically, the way I get through this is I think about the people out there that have real problems. I still have a job, I’m still promoted by the UFC, I still have a job with FOX, I still can be in the gym and help these guys get better, I can still elevate the sport of mixed martial arts, which is my passion. I can still come back and fight and win.”
And while his last bout with surgery left him depressed, now he knows how to get through the tough times. This time around, he said, he isn’t going to let his knee problems stop him:
“I’m not happy about this by any means, but it’s also not going to drop me in a funk. I’m not going to allow it to stop me.”
Cruz has returned from this injury before, and he still has time to make a strong comeback.
With a calm, collected, and positive focus in place, we here at LowKick MMA are wishing him all the best in his recovery.
Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie for USA TODAY Sports
