An open letter to Dominick Cruz

Hey Dominick,

I know you’re going through a rough time. To be perfectly frank — The run of luck you’ve had as of late stinks. The series of injuries you’ve had to deal with is enough to drive the average man insane. An average man would go bonkers after two surgery-worthy ACL injuries and this latest groin issue; but you’re not the average man, not by a long shot. That’s why I’m writing this.

I think you made a good first step by vacating the UFC Bantamweight Title. It was something that I think was actually holding back your recovery. I know, it sounds crazy to say that, but hear me out. You’re a man of focus, and you’ve been focused for so long on returning and defending that belt that I believe it’s actually been a detriment to your getting back to 100%. You keep injuring yourself in training because you’re so driven to return. I understand that, but that doesn’t mean it’s something I want to see you keep doing.

I suppose what I’m trying to say in all of this is — Please retire, if only temporarily. It will give you time to focus on just recovering and getting your body back into healthy shape. By all means, don’t stop hanging around the gym, and don’t stop appearing as an analyst on FOX Sports 1. You’re a good coach and a great analyst, and I don’t think that continuing on in those two capacities will distract you from what your #1 goal should be — Full recovery. Once you’ve got your body fixed up to the point a doctor will give you clearance, then yes, please start training again. See how you feel after a few weeks. If you feel as good as before, or even better, then great! You come out of retirement and reinsert yourself into the UFC as a competitor. If not, then you stay retired, keep appearing on FOX Sports 1, and perhaps pursue coaching as a full-time opportunity.

It’s clear that something about training with a goal of returning to the cage is leading you to continued injury. You’re a determined guy, and I can see how you might shrug off minor injuries until they become major ones. Right now, though, that determination needs to be set on just recovering, not on returning to fight. Get well soon, dude.

Sincerely, Justin Pierrot

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