Dominick Cruz has spent much of his MMA career fighting against more than just opponents—he’s battled countless injuries and mental health struggles along the way. Now, with his retirement made official, Cruz is opening up about the emotional and physical toll the sport has taken on him.
The former UFC bantamweight champion, widely regarded as one of the best in the division’s history, recently sat down with Ariel Helwani to talk about the moment that led to his retirement and the struggles he faced even during his peak.
“Thank God for the injuries because they threw me into not having the sport where I got to feel how miserable I was and then focus on those things,” Cruz admitted. “I was on antidepressants and I was scared to get off of them because I was scared to turn into the crazy person that I was.”
The Injury That Ended It All
Cruz was preparing to make his long-awaited return at UFC Seattle against Rob Font when disaster struck once again. During training, he suffered a brutal shoulder dislocation—his second in just eight months. This time, the damage was too severe to ignore.
“I set my goal to get through this fight, and I’ll be honest, I was on borrowed time when I booked this fight,” Cruz said. “But because of the state of my body leading into that… unfortunately, [my] arm gave out — and it had given out before, but this time it was different.”
Unlike his previous injuries, this one wasn’t a quick fix. Cruz was rushed to the hospital with his shoulder still dislocated.
“It was out of place for about an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes, just sitting out of socket,” he recalled. “And you kind of find Jesus in a time like that, to be honest. At the end of the day, when your arm starts turning blue… and you can see that they’re making sure my fingers are still working before they slide it back into place, it’s like, OK, is fighting worth as much as my arm?”
That was the moment Cruz knew—his time in the Octagon was over.
A Surprising Message From TJ Dillashaw
Cruz’s retirement led to an outpouring of respect from the MMA community, but one message, in particular, caught him off guard.
“TJ Dillashaw actually reached out to me. I was shocked,” Cruz revealed. “He gave me a recommendation for a shoulder doctor. He said he was looking forward to watching me compete and was sorry that I couldn’t.”
The two had a heated rivalry over the years, with Cruz defeating Dillashaw in a razor-close split decision back in 2016. They’ve traded shots at each other ever since, but it seems the shared struggle of career-ending injuries has built an unexpected bridge between them.
With his fighting days behind him, Cruz is now left to navigate life outside the cage. He may not have reached his full potential due to injuries, but his impact on the sport is undeniable.
