Doug LarsonDominick Cruz is an American mixed martial artist. He fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and is a two-time UFC Bantamweight Champion. Cruz was also the final bantamweight titleholder of World Extreme Cagefighting.
Known as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts, Cruz is noted for his unorthodox movement, powerful wrestling base, quick striking, and his tendency to attack from angles in a unique fashion unlike any other fighter on the UFC roster.
In this episode, Dom compares maintaining the body of a professional athlete to having a 40 hour/week job. Work needs to be done on the body to keep growing whether or not there are injuries. Dom stresses how importance is it to keeping up conditioning for fighters when they are injured, as they need to be ready to perform when the injury heals. He also discusses how he continues to get better as an athlete while enduring age and injury, and much more.
Enjoy!
– Doug and Anders
Control the ego
As a professional, no one is telling you what to do. Regardless of environment, it is up to the athlete to wake up each day and get their work in. Dom explains the importance of the ego and knowing when to control it. He talks about how lonely it can get at the top, as well as how loneliness relates to the ego. When Dom steps into the cage now, it’s because he wants to fight. It is no longer about winning, because there isn’t any substance to winning. The love an happiness is in the competition.
“The key to dealing with injuries is knowing how to train when you are injured.” — Dom Cruz
Key Takeaways
- While a fighter gets injured — When a fighter is injured, according to Dom it is critical to maintain and continue endurance training. Often athletes will overemphasize rest and recovery and lose their endurance, falling behind.
- Control the ego — The ego is good in the sense that it drives us to accept challenges and helps to breed confidence that we can win. The key is knowing when to turn that off and have the ability to be humble, continually learn, and able to develop.
- Beyond fighting — Athletes need to have a love beyond their career. If your identity consists solely of you as a fighter, and you can no longer fight, you can begin to lose a sense of purpose. Dom encourages fighters to have passions outside of fighting, something else to live for in addition to fighting.
- Art of 6 — Uou are the sum of the 6 people you associate with most. What in those 6 people are you looking for? Be very specific. Know what you want in your mind, heart and spirit.
“Have zero attachment and no emotion.” — Dom Cruz
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Train smart,
Mike, Doug and Anders
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