Dominick Cruz - 3 x UFC Bantamweight Champion | The Ed Clay Show Ep. 4 | UFC, MMA, Winning Mindset!

Dominick Cruz is a 3 x UFC Bantamweight Champion, fight analyst, and UFC commentator. Ed and Dom have known each other for years and met during their early MMA days. Ed's insight into Dominick's personality provide great perspective into what makes the mind of a champion.

Dominick's story is unlike any other you have ever heard. Humble beginnings paved the way to a glorious rise in the combat sports world. Before MMA was even legal in the US, Dominick was fighting on Indian reservations in "human cockfighting" bouts. Beginning his professional MMA career in 2005 he would compete in fighting leagues such as Rage in the Cage, Total Combat, & WEC before becoming an official fighter for the UFC in 2010.

Dominick took home the WEC Bantamweight title beating Brian Bowles in 2010 and became the inaugural UFC Bantamweight Champion later that year when the WEC merged with UFC, the following year Dominick defeated Urijah Faber to claim his second UFC Bantamweight title. However not everyone can stay on top forever, in 2012 Dominick tore his ACL and in the following years would tear his groin, quadricep, and experience other injuries that would leave him out of the cage for years.

In 2016 he would pull-off what Ed Clay considers the greatest comeback in UFC history, beating T.J. Dillashaw to reclaim his throne as the UFC Bantamweight Champion!

Dominick's story is one of extreme adversity, glorious victory, and the greatest comeback story you will ever hear!

Enjoy this episode of The Ed Clay Show with 3 x UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz

#DominickCruz #UFCChampion #UFC #TheEdClayShow #EdClay #UFCBantamweightChampion #MMA #Podcast

Timestamps:
00:00:00 - Intro
00:03:00 - MMA, Reaction Times, Winning through Consistency
00:09:00 - Ed and Dominick’s Friendship Backstory, Why Ed Likes Dominick, Dom’s Mindset
00:19:45 - Dom’s Start in Fighting and Martial Arts, The Early Days of Fighting
00:34:10 - Figuring It Out, Showing up Solo to a Fight, Going Blind in The Shower After the Fight
00:43:00 - Fight Breakdown, Fighting with Nothing to Lose
00:50:20 - First Big Show Fight in Vegas, Realizing How Far He Had Come At Dinner in Vegas
01:00:26 - First Title Fight in 2010, Quitting Job to Fight Full-Time, San Diego Life
01:05:00 - WEC/UFC Merger, Big Wins
01:11:30 - Beating Uriah Faber, Demetrius Johnson Fight
01:14:14 - Facing Big Injuries, Broken Hands, Injured Knees, & Torn Ligaments
01:21:23 - Overcoming Losing the Title, Beating The Odds after Injuries, Fighting Depression
01:26:30 - Becoming a Fight Commentator, Healing From Torn Quadricep, Blowing out Knee
01:32:00 - Surrendering to Suffering, Transforming Suffering, The Mindset of Certainty
01:41:35 - Fighting TJ Dillashaw, One of the Greatest UFC Comebacks of All-Time
01:50:35 - The Power of The Human Mind, Going Through Hell and Back, Appreciating True Grit
01:55:02 - The Power of Gratitude, Dom’s Epiphanies, Giving Back to The Community
01:59:30 - Quality of Life and Relationships, Loving Others, Personal Accountability, Emotional Intelligence
02:04:20 - Closing Remarks and a Friendly Farewell