THE ED MYLETT SHOW - Dominick Cruz - Knocking Out Your Weaknesses

Episode Date: February 7, 2018

Join Ed Mylett this week as he interviews four time UFC Champion and Fox Sports Analyst Dominick Cruz. There is nothing like getting into the mind of a disciplined champion like Dominick to help you take your personal performance to the next level. Dominick grew up with a single mother, living in a trailer park and was working as a customer service representative at Lowe's when he became a full-time fighter. His story is full of struggle, perseverance and triumph. Listen, learn and get motivated to #MaxOut YOUR life!!!

This is the Edmila Show. Complete, lead, and win. Welcome back to Max-Out with Edmila. I am fired up today. We have a great conversation to show you today. I'm with four-time UFC champion, Fox Sports Analyst, UFC Color Commentator, all-around stud and champion Dominic Cruz. Dominic, thank you for being here, brother.

Good to be here. Yeah, it's great to have you. Got him in my wine room in the house. And, of course he does. Of course we do. We've been having great conversations off camera and most of you probably know Dominic. You've seen him probably in the cage and seen him dominate over and over 22 and two lifetime record and this is one of the great fighters of the last decade

in the UFC and so it's great to have you here man. Good to be here man. You're in your beautiful wine room. It's not taking things out. That's not so bad. Just keep your hands off the door. I have this. No, you cannot have this. to be here man. You're in your beautiful line room. It's not taking things out. That's not so bad. Just keep your hands off the wall. I have this. No. You cannot have this. You cannot have that. No. No. You can't have that. We'll pour some monster in that glass for you. He's sponsored by Marcy. I seriously can't have that. You can seriously cannot have that. No. I just too. I need to get his cool though. Anyway, let's try though. We are we're gonna talk some specific stuff today. We're gonna get into the kind of a mindset of a champion

because I have one here right in front of me and I don't wanna waste the time of not getting inside your brain a little bit. So everybody knows about you being super successful in the ring and they've seen you win and you're about to come back from another injury, but you gotta tell everybody, people's journey in life is always interesting to me.

And you didn't like, oh, grow up thinking you were gonna be a UFC champion, or even an MMA in any way, shape or form, right? No. Tell them a little bit about, a little bit how you grew up with it, how the heck the story of how you end up even getting in this sport in the first place.

I wouldn't say I grew up poor, because now in days you see what poor is in a lot of different places all over the world. So I would say I didn't grow up with a lot of money with my mom. My mom was a single mom raised me and my brother. So I grew up not making a lot of money, not getting new stuff when you went to school, being mad about it, not getting new school stuff. You know, just the little things being on the free lunch, things like that,

where you just kind of get made fun of that normal life that a lot of people could relate to. I grew up like that. So then I graduate high school and I feel like junior high high school. I was like in a shell and I was just on a learning how to work, learning how to, learning what I could be. And it was, it really started in junior high. I think that when we say that kids are kids at that age, I think that's actually when they're adults, because that is the primer that sets for the paint when you become an adult.

And I feel like I learned how to be an adult, young, because of certain choices I made. Like what? What do you mean? Well, I was kind of put in that by my dad when I was five. He left and told me I was the man of the house. And I just remember that really distinctly. Him saying, by, you know, you're the man of the house. I need you to take care of your mom, take care of your brother.

And me just being really proud about that at that specific age. Seriously. Yeah, it was weird. I remember being like, yeah, my dad put me here for that. I could see it on your face, right? You know? And then he left, though. And then that obviously sucked, as it does for everybody. But he chose drugs over me at the time in my head then.

Now, I'm an adult, and you understand that your parents choose what they choose because of how they were brought up But it's not really anybody's fault. It's just the way things are chopped up, right? You've attached a different meaning to the same thing. Yeah, you learn over time that all it does is make you angry piss you off and bring negativity to you If you hold anything else to it. He didn't want to do that But there's great things that came out of him doing that stuff to me

Yeah, and so there's a reason this happens. That's right. There is there always is But um, so you're 18 and this happened for you not to your dad leaving like we're talking about off camera But you're 18. Did you know what you're gonna do in 18? Did you have like a plan like a mother school to be a EMT firefighter? Okay, then I decided no plans at all to be a fighter. No, hadn't even started 18 never thrown a punch in my life That's amazing. Yeah, almost guys in your sport training young though, right? Like if you're playing now This is the new era. Okay, now the new era has every facet in the world every martial art in the world at their hands Yeah, every gym in the world every team in the world every pad holder in the world. Yeah, they're all there Whereas when I I was somewhat the building blocks of that,

and my building blocks were Don Fry, Drew Fickett, Joe Diesel Riggs, Rich Franklin, BJ Penn, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Shamrock. These are the guys that I watched. They go, oh my gosh, they're freaks. You know, the dude, what's wrong with these guys? They're crazy. I could never do that. Seriously. In school, they want wrestling, going to wrestling, thinking I'm deathly afraid to go to this

wrestling match. I'm about to walk on this mat and wrestle this guy and he's yoked. And how is he only 12 years old? He's got a mustache. That's not fair. And like, I don't hear a bit of armpit hair. You know what I mean? I'm like, this's not fair. And like, I don't even have an armpit hair. You don't even need a leg to sit there right. I'm looking at his stash and I'm like, what? And I remember this stuff growing up. So I was a late bloomer, you know? I didn't grow into my body till I graduated

and that's when I started fighting. So it actually worked perfect. Wow. I could have hit my while I was wrestling and then I graduated high school. Didn't get my scholarship So I started paying for my own school working three jobs. You're gonna be an EMT doing the new thing Yeah, I'm going to live that life, you know

And one of the students that I was coaching and wrestling. I'm 19 years old coaching at a high school Okay, so they're my age these guys are my age, but I just switched schools wrestled with them live okay, and He's like you got to try this place out man, you can punch a kick putty, kick people. He's like, I just fought some guys on his lunch break the other day and it was amazing. Like, you know, I'm just like, what? Like, I don't really, I mean, I got in street fights because we're dumb. A competitive. Dumb kids, you know? Like, ready to go all the time. But never competitively, no way. And so I joined this gym. I go into the gym with him,

he's like, I can bring somebody for free, you gotta come with me next time. So I'm like, all right, I'll try it out. I go in there, they put gloves on me, they wrap my hands, they give me the whole experience, right? Yeah. Do the class, it's an hour long I leave, and I'm just like, I can wrestle so well already.

If I learn how to use my hands and my legs, I'll kill people in the streets. I know he's gonna touch me. In the streets you're thinking so. Yeah, I'm not getting jumped anymore, I'll kill people in the streets. Nobody's gonna touch me. In the streets you're thinking so. Yeah, I'm not getting jumped anymore. I'm gonna knock people out. So I've been getting jumped all the time. You just get jumped and you get tired of it.

You hit a point where you're like, I'm gonna learn how to these people up, you know? A lot of people can relate to that, listen to this. Right, so I was like, I need to learn how to do this stuff. You're still thinking about the street though, you're just playing. I'm 18, 19. There's no money to be made in this yet in my eyes. There about the street though, you're just playing. I'm 1819. There's no money to be made in this yet in my eyes.

There's the sports not that big. Yeah. And like me being a professional, they call it NHB or cage fighting at this point. This is 15 years ago. So it's like me, no way. I barely had cauliflower here. My ears were fresh, my face is fresh, no cuts.

Your face is still pretty fresh. You know what I mean? But it was nice. I was still fresh. My face was fresh. No cuts. You're face was pretty fresh. You know what I mean? But it was nice. Yeah. Like I was still good. This is a beat down now, you know? But my point is, I was just getting into it and I didn't know it because this guy puts

me in there and he's like, you know, try to try it. I fell in love with it. I stay going to the gym, but I didn't have money to pay for it. I'm working so much going to school. So I ask him if I can just clean the gym. And that would pay for the membership because I just needed that. And so I would clean the gym and then I started, I slowly get into selling memberships, teaching classes because I get really good.

That pays for my membership, so I'm never paying. I'm just teaching and training. And then one day a guy comes in, he's like four or five and all. And he goes, he asks the owner of the gym, like we need a sparring partner, he fights in a couple of weeks, he needs sparring. Do you have any guys that wrestled? Or kickboxer guys?

And he's like, well, we got this kid and wrestled in high school, but he just takes the classes and spars on Sparday. Which Sparday is like people from, you know, this guy has, is in a computer at work all day. This guy does, you know, self-stakes. This guy like is a plumber. This guy's a lot, you know, and we all,

I'm 20, I'm 20, 18, 19, 20 years old with these 35 year old men that just trying to get there, sweat going on. It'd be like you, I mean, I could have showed up 19, and you could have been busting me up. You know what I mean? Because that's what the gym was. Well, I've since I'm young, hungry, and I could do it, they're like, throw Dominic at them.

You know what I mean? Like those guys just go at it. I ended up doing really well with this guy beating him up pretty bad, breaking his nose. Oh my god. And he fought like a couple weeks. And she's like, what are you doing? He fights in two weeks. And he's like, well, I'm not fighting anymore.

Like my nose is broken. He's like, but, I'm not fighting anymore. My nose is broken. He's like, but you should think about this. Have you had any fights? And I was like, no, I've wrestled in high school. And then I've been doing these boxing classes for about six months now. By the time he came in, he's like, you're really good. You should try it out.

They know the promoters. They know the owner of the organization. I don't want to give them a shout. Because they're jerks. They don't pay me anything. Um, they don't pay anybody anything. But we don't know who they are. Yeah, we don't know who they are. But I jumped in there and get going.

They did get it started because at least they gave me a fight. So give them that. I got a $50 check. I paid $350 for medical. Oh my god. You do the math, you know, because they got to make, at least they're making sure our blood's clean. Right.

And I'm happy about that. So I'm like, here here's 350 here's my blood test. Here's my eye test Thanks for doing this and I don't got to worry about getting hepatitis from somebody and it's octagon, you know Yeah, and so I go fight them. I fall in love with it right then I barely win that fight you barely win Barely win all my friends come to watch. I just was missing so many things. I had no coaching. Yeah, I coached myself for it I don't have any pad holders because nobody wants to hold pads for somebody who I just was missing so many things. I had no coaching. I coached myself for it. I don't have any pad holders, because nobody wants to hold pads for somebody who doesn't already have money to pay you.

And nobody wants to hold pads for somebody if they don't think that they're a specimen. And I didn't have some kind of specimen. Look to me. So I'm just dumb. Like, no, I'm not holding pads for you for 45 minutes for nothing. So you gotta work your own way, right?

That's how my style got built because I kind of had to trade myself a lot. That's how your style sort of a clectic is what you were born. There's that, and then I fought two weight classes above my natural weight. Why? Why'd you do that? Because the weight class didn't exist. That's what it was. I was the first champion of my weight class.

So you end up becoming a multiple timetime champion tripping into this almost cleaning the gym up after high school. Well note the the kid that I rest that I coached and wrestling introduced me to the gym. That's unbelievable. And he goes try it out. You like it. You're you're just feisty basically. Yeah. You think you like it. When did you know at what point did you or was there a point where you went, oh my gosh. When I fought that guy, I realized, all right, I'll try it. They took me to an event and I fell in love

with it after my first fight. But when did you think it could be a champion? Excuse me. I took a fight in San Diego against a guy named David Scardo on two days notice. No corner man. No corner man. And I just showed up by myself.

I'm being a hometown favorite as a culminant event in California. No corner man. No corner man. And I just showed up by myself. And beat a hometown favorite as a call main event in California. Wow. And I was like, and I made like the biggest paycheck I'd ever made. Yeah. $1,700. That's huge. And I was like, all right, I'm making some money and I'm undefeated. I just found a guy who said he could be my coach and he could fund me a manager.

Now my career is starting. Now I'm doing what I want to do. So let's see where this goes. And so I just ran with it. I want people to hear that because I don't care what you do, right? Sometimes you just got to run with it. You know, sometimes there isn't a perfect plan. Like this, most people think like they see that after this, you know,

multiple time champion or or myself in business. I think there's probably like a perfect track at all laid out or you knew exactly what you were doing. The fact that you just kind of fight your way along. Don't you, as these experiences? Yeah, I feel like you fight your way along, but there's also, I was in a boom of the sport. And I think that everybody in life has this particular moment

they can remember where they go. There was a time where I had a shot, and I either just put all in or I didn't. I feel like, for me, this was that time because I look at the sport, and you just analyze the situation. There's only been one ultimate fighter. It hit record numbers on Pay Per View with Chuck the Del Tito or T's

and the numbers that they were doing, selling Pay Per Views and TV was just going nuts for mixed martial arts. Now the sport was still considered human cock fighting at this point. So it was a risk, which actually elevated the facts that less people are going to do it, and it makes it more of a chance for me to see through the cracks, because less people are going to be willing to jump on board with a dirty sport,

that they consider dirty that I know isn't done. You know it's not. So I said, if I broke down and analyzed it, everybody's not pouring in yet. Now's the time to get in and learn about it and start getting the facets of this thing. So you capitalized on timing, too? I do believe that. I love what you said there, too,

because there is. There's the time where you've got to jump, man. There it is. It wasn't just like right now when I see guys. I met a kid the other day. I was in the gym and I've been doing this for 15 years now, fighting. I've been fighting for 12. I've been, if you a kid the other day, I was in the gym and I've been doing this for 15 years now, fighting. I've been fighting for 12. I've been, if you count wrestling, 20 years, you know?

And his kid's 18 and he's like, yeah, I'll, you know, he's wrapping his hands and he's happy to be in there and I look at him and he has one pro fight. And I go, oh my gosh, I look at him and I'm like, I was, you. That amazing. I was 18, just starting. Yeah. And I remember how I felt when I thought and where I was.

Yeah. And man, I just pray for 18 year olds now. You do. Yeah. You had a long road, I hope you're tough. Exactly. I think the same thing when I mean people like in my business, when I'm closer to whether a young athlete

is like, does what you're actually going to go through. If I knew what I was going to go through, I don't know if I could have done it. Same here, right? Exactly. I think the same thing when I mean people like in my business when I'm coached whether young athletes like you're actually gonna go through if I knew what I was gonna go through. I don't know if I could have done the same here Right, the thing is you put your head down You did the work like we're talking about earlier. So so let's flash forward a little bit This is I'm gonna ask you some stuff because I think everybody wants to know this right okay training Now you're at an elite level. You're a world-class fighter, right? What how important talk a little bit about prepping for a fight, but like inside that, like what are you doing mentally and physically

when you're prepping for a fight? What are the things, are you, are you focused on sacrifices, are you focused on your diet, your training, all of the above? Like what happens to train for a fight? I don't know how people know. There's a lot of little things, but I'll tell you what makes the biggest gains to me. Okay. It's the tiny little battles that you have that make the biggest gains for me as a champion.

The tiny ones, like the ones at the very, very end of your workout, always. That's where I get the most gains. Like, for instance, yesterday, I'm re-h you know, I'm rehabbing an arm injury. Right. I broke my arm, but I can run as much as I want. And so, like normally, I'm just like, oh, I did it two yesterday, so I'll just do one a day, but it's like, the little battles. It's like, okay, just do this, get the run done.

I start to run, I do three miles, but when I come back, all right, I need to do the sprints. I need to do them. And there's a big hill up by my house. And it's like, do I, all right, I need to do the sprints. I need to do them. And there's a big hill up by my house. And it's like, do I, all right, yeah, you could do sprints. Nobody do. Do five. No, you got these guys with you. They're all getting ready for a fight.

And this is what they, you'd be doing if you were getting ready for a fight. You can run as much you want. So it's the little battles I did 10 instead of five. And then when you hit six, you hit a wall. And when you hit a wall, your body says stop. And in my workouts, I always hit a wall. And when you hit that wall, that's where you make gains. That's right.

The six to 10 is the max out part of your workout. That's what you're never talking about off camera. That's the difference between a good workout or even a great workout and a maxed out workout, right? Exactly. And you stack those up. So you've trained. So that extra four, when you really think about it, is only maybe two and a maxed out workout, right? Exactly. And you stack those up, so you've trained. So that extra four, yes. When you really think about it,

is only maybe two and a half minutes extra work, but it's the most painful two and a half minutes of the entire day. Yeah, and it's where all the gains are made. Because that's where all the gains are made. I love that. So sports, business, that's where the extra three phone calls are made.

The extra two appointments, the extra one hour, the extra extra extra extra, right? Just inches, but the inches add up. Oh I love that. It's weird. No it's true right? Like we both know this is true and you told me to talk about this and it's not just the inches you were telling me that how important self confidence is or confidence is when

you go into fight. What is your confidence rooted in? Where do you get it from? Your confidence. It's a good question. There's a couple things. One, I have a higher power. So my higher power is a huge comfort for me. I don't think that everybody has to have a higher power.

And if you do have one, it doesn't need to be the same. My higher power could be this corner. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Whatever your higher power needs to be, if you have one, I think these people have an advantage over somebody who does not. A hundred percent agree. And it doesn't need to be one certain thing.

It's just what it is. I love the word use comfort, because that's what it is for me too. It is because it's something that you can just release and say it's in the hands of this. And when you can do that, it's called faith. And faith can only be refined through fire, and the antidote to fear is trust and faith.

So those things being said, if you really put all those things together, faith is actually why the higher power is so important. Because when I walk into a fight, I have to have faith that I put all the work in. I have to have faith that things are going to be, go the way I want. I don't have any control over them whatsoever. None. Zero. So my faith actually goes deeper than it is.

But if you don't have a higher power that you can't touch and learn that you have to have faith in something that you can't touch or grab or that's not physical, you've never trained faith. You have to be able to train faith somehow. And I feel like that's what a higher power does for somebody who has it. They're training faith every day. I love that. And if you train faith, you're hard to beat because you learn to let go of the things

you can't control. Mm-hmm. You know? Really? And for me, that was a huge learning. Wow. For me. Anything else?

Is your preparation, the part of your confidence, though? Any of that? Well, the preparation, to me, was an intangible because everybody does that so I don't count it. Because it's like I'm at the highest level, everybody's in shape, everybody's strong, everybody's fast, everybody hits hard, everybody trains every aspect, everybody's well-rounded, everybody's pissed, everybody can get knocked out and stand back up. Everybody can take a choke and get out. Everybody can get put to sleep, wait back up and flip you off.

Yeah. It's a different level. So the difference for you is your faith. The difference for me is pop that, but also letting go of the things I can't control so that I don't freak out. But then one of the biggest intangibles for me, I think is just attacking my weaknesses, like not running from them.

You mean in your preparation? Yeah, in my mind, in my heart, my spirit, like all things. So it's not just the physical. It has to be your weaknesses and the mental outside of the the octagon, because what I realized is most of the reasons why I fought in the octagon were were spiritual and emotional weaknesses outside of the octagon. Wow, you think maybe part not go a little deeper on it You think part your dad's gone that type of thing. There's so yeah, just life turns you into that Which was actually my gift and my curse. It was my gift of fighting

But it was my curse outside of life where certain things I'd'd be really good at fighting, but everything outside of that was just like a jumbled mess. My relationships weren't doing well, maybe I'd snapy on people, maybe I'm punking people too much, and I shouldn't be because I'm used to being in a fight world, and this isn't the fight world anymore, Tom, you can't just be walking around trying to punk people. And then there has to be balance, right? Yeah. And I wasn't balanced. I was all in on the physical.

Not enough in on the spiritual emotional. And then when you start mingling them together, it sounds crazy, but it just helps your physical. Wow. And that's been the difference for me. It's like I'm not just focused on being in shape, being strong, being fast. Because everyone's got that at your level.

Because everyone's got that. What are people not doing? They're not dealing with their weaknesses outside of what fighting makes them not think about. So like fighting turns off my brain. Yeah. That's why I love it. It just shuts off everything.

Why am I always trying to shut my brain off? Wow. You know what's the point of that? So what if I start working on the things outside that I'm trying to shut my brain for so I don't have to shut my brain up anymore? Now I'm reaching in my opinion, I haven't done it yet. I'm still trying to figure it out.

We all are. But if I can do that, now I'm at peace when I start training, how much more I have to train when I get when I'm actually not using it to shut my brain off. Well, this is awesome, man. Is that amazing? No, no, no, 100%.

You're talking about getting to the ultimate version that you're ultimate fighting, you're ultimate life, you is awesome man. Is that crazy? No, no, no, 100%. You're talking about getting to the ultimate version, the ultimate fighting, the ultimate life, your ultimate everything. But I don't, I haven't done it, but it's a theory. It's because in my opinion, you know, I talk about, you guys talk about self-camera, that's a chase, that's a pursuit, right? I think I think, by the way,

isn't it cool to be in the head and heart of a world class champion, right? Like, this is what they think about. And I think guys like you, like I interviewed this guy named Tim Grover who was Jordan and Kobe's mental and physical coach, right? And he talks about there's coolers, coasters, and cleaners. Cleaners are world champions, like what you are, okay?

Everything aside, they're gonna win anyway, right? And he says cleaners never think they're cleaners. The greatest never think they're cleaners. In other words, you never really arrive at that point. It's the pursuit of it, right? Like, clearly you're talking off camera. Like you're way further along on the pursuit of what you just said that you were five years ago.

Oh yeah. The injuries did that for me. The injuries did that for me. It forced me to get away from the physical because I couldn't use my body anymore. I literally, my body broke on me, so the God forced me to deal with the mental, emotional, physical, spiritual. And you literally said to me,

I've come with that happen for you, not to you. I couldn't believe when you said that because I so believe that that's true. It's like, there's a version of you coming in. There was a time where I would have never said that. Yeah, yeah. I would have said this is logic. I'm doomed.

Yeah, I know. Trust me. Trust me. Yeah. Not always that optimistic. It's great that you, well, it's perspective, it's wisdom, it's age, it's maturity, it's, it's, it's all those things. So I'm loving this by the way, just so you know, like I'm pumped as hell.

I, I see that. I mean, we might need to get you some new sleeves in a second. So you get afraid when you go, I think people want to do this. You're, you're walking into that cage. You're going to stand there and get the intro, right? Buffer is going to say something, whatever, let's get it on or whatever he says, right? And so... So at that time, you're talking. Yeah.

At that time, in my afraid. Oh, at any point. Are you afraid? Is there a... Definitely afraid at a point. You're back getting wrapped in the back. What are you thinking? Yeah.

I'm probably still pretty nervous there. I wouldn't say afraid, though. What are you thinking? Yeah, I'm probably still pretty nervous there. I wouldn't say I'm afraid though. What are you? Because like, well, I the antidote to fear is trust and faith. That's like so powerful for me because I told, I've had to obviously break this down. That's why I was able to explain it in my own head. Like, all right, why is it? You always say it.

You always say it. Yeah. To fear trust and faith. Why? Right. Well, why do I have trust? What do I have trust and faith in? Well, God, I trust and faith.

Why do I have trust and faith that God exists? If I can't touch them, I can't see Him, I can't, why it's He there? Why do I believe it? Why can't feel it? Somehow, right? I don't know, I just have a feeling. What's the same thing?

I have a feeling I'm the best in the world. It's there. But also, I have trust in faith because I know what I did in my camp. I never skipped one workout. I did those last four sprints every single time. And I know I did. For exactly 12 weeks, I was perfect. That's all it takes and I know that in the system, I wrote it down and I've done it and I've won championships with this system that in this system, as long as I stick

to that 12 weeks and I do it this way and do every four sprints and the system says I will be a world champion. Do I have trusted faith that this system works? Well, I've done it for six, one time, how many times have I done it? Have I done it? That's why winning one title is so important. You see a light bulb go on in a champion's head when they win their first one. It's a light bulb. Oh, I'm here. I belong here. I am this good. You know why? Because I have a system. They have a system. That's what they know. They have a system now that won them the title. Now that you got that system, you just, you repeat, wash, repeat, wash, repeat. So let me tell you what you're unique about. You evolve it. Let me tell you what you're unique about you. Okay. Because you know that I work with lots of athletes in different sports. That's, that is unique what you just said.

A lot of guys get to that championship level and they don't think they belong there and they don't repeat their system and they don't train exactly the same or they or they evolve things too much. That's why you've been able to repeat as a champion in my opinion and that's the same true in business. You say that champions do that, repeat champions do that, you do that. But dude, you've beaten, didn't do that. And there are guys that get to certain places and they don't think they belong there or they do alter their system or they don't trust who, business people do it.

Athletes and different sports do it. So it is unique to you. I wanna acknowledge, just so you know, that is one of the great advantages for you brother is that you do think you belong there. You do refine your system. You do repeat the process and your faith. It's true, trust me,

because I work with guys and most of the time and your faith. It's true. Trust me. Because I work with guys and most of the time they don't think they belong there. They maybe even got there a little bit prematurely. It's even my guys that you've beat you before when you came back and beat the next time. I think that the thing that I have that maybe some of these athletes don't from my experience as an athlete is there's a lot of people that passed me up very early in with their athletic gifts. Their gifts were just maxed out on me. They were just they're stronger, they were faster, they were all these things. But that actually ended up

being their crutch towards the end. And I didn't have that crutch early. I never have had it my whole life. And so I believe I belong there because I know I suffered to get there. I was never, it was too, too hard. Yes. To not belong, for me to not belong there at this point. I was just too difficult. Like, I could look back at what I did and know, go ahead and try. Yeah. Yeah. Do it. I want to see you. Yeah. You ain't doing it. Yeah. You're not. Yeah. I can look back at what I've done and know there's like a smidge it a people on earth that will do that. Yep. Because it's too hard. I know what I did. You know you did. It's hard. It's lonely. It's grueling. Yeah. It's worth it. Worth it. I'm hoping you were gonna say that. I was literally just took the words I was gonna tell you, it's worth it, right? And the greats usually aren't the mega talented ones,

man. Like Brady's not the most talented quarterback in history NFL, but I think the same thing as applies with him too. And I think he thinks he belongs there. And I think he repeats his process. I think he's addicted to the process. So you're not, so you go into the ring, you're, by the way, like gold, like unbelievable gold, like some of my favorite things ever said on my show is what you just said, which is why I told you off camera, you should speak for a living. Glad we, I think, with a lot of life.

Yeah, some of the same views. Well, you're also teaching me stuff too. So hey, I learned from every community. I learned it too, and I'm learning how much it costs to put a wine system in with different ranges of temperatures. I tell you, man. In fact, I like my wine at 73 degrees, please. I'd say more wine.

I'm going to work on you, man. I'm going to work on you. Oh, that's not a good temperature. No, you want to cool it. We'll work on that. There are things I can learn. There are things I can help you. There are things I can help you.

I'll tell you. All day I'm helping you. So let's go through a couple more things. I'm fasting. So you're going in. You've got some anxiety, nerves, butterflies, energy, anticipation, all that stuff. Have you, you're in a fight?

Are you now in some zone where you're just reacting? You've done your preparation, you've got your plan, you know this guy's strengths, weaknesses, you know yours, etc. Are you just now reacting? What are they? I have a chair that I tell my friend, I'm in the Lardin zone. I read a book. What is it?

Lardin zone. What's the Lardin? It's a book that I tell my friend, I'm in the Lardin zone. I read a book. What is it? The Lardin zone. It's a book that I read. From a doctor that I talk to occasionally, he's another power person in my life. Dr. Lardin, he wrote a book and he talks about how to get in the zone. The zone is perceived, is basically that space between what's happening and what's not, and where everything freezes and moves slow. And it's getting in the zone. And when you're fighting, that turns on. But I research more into that and why it's so powerful and the reason it's powerful is

everything shuts off. Like everything you're just there in the present. So that's powerful to mean because the present is 100% where all our power is like All of it we have no power without the present none if you're folk like that's when I realized it because when I'm doing that I'm not thinking oh man I should wipe my feet before I got in the cage while he's punching me like yeah, I'm just thinking don't get hit Counter all this is a good read. I'm so in the now that There is no anxiety. There is no no stress there is no there's only Slow in peace. Yes, so if we could imagine if I could grasp that for life

Yes, I was gonna tell you imagine you can grasp that outside of the ring Someday when you have kids being that president right? It's hard though But when I see it like a 80 year old guy you see him and they're just always chilling And the president they just know they've already lived their whole life When I see it like a 80 year old guy, you see him and they're just always chilling. And the present, they just know, they've already lived their whole life. That's right. In the past and the future. And so the rubb is, can you continue to be driven?

I say that blissful dissatisfaction, right? The rubb is, can you continue just to be super driven, but yet be a peaceful, present, and in the zone. And there's where I lie now, I've hit that road now, where I'm at a fork. And I'm trying to figure out, I've found that road now, where I'm at a fork, and I'm trying to figure out, I've found out a lot of answers to a lot of the things that have tormented me to make me fight. And the more I uncover them, and the more I understand them,

and the more I get to the root issues of what causes, what keeps me from having peace, the more peace I uncover, you start to worry, well, am I taking away the one gift I have to be the good fighter? Everybody worries about that, right? They do worry about that. And actually what you're going to do is you're going to unleash a power within you you've not had before.

Everybody thinks that. They think that in every area. It's a fact. And the guy named Wayne Dyer, I've listened a lot to, he talks about. That there's another, that there's another, when you get to where I'm looking. Yes. I haven't quite had the faith in you because I haven't seen it, what he's talking about,

but you get to where you no longer need the fear and the anxiety and the, you just need, the more peace, when you can just have peace, like you work on another frequency. They are, those are low level drivers that got you to where you are, but it's a stain. To sustain excellence, those things

actually become your kryptonite. And so the more you remove those things, you get stronger. It's removing little pieces of kryptonite from your heart and your soul and you get stronger. There's no more on the screen. So I'm glad that you're not the only one who's hurt. No, not really not. You're 100% out of it. So I'm trying to get to the higher frequency.

And at the higher frequency, there's peace outside here, inside here. Yes. There's peace everywhere. I've dealt with the demons. I've looked at myself in the mirror and said, oh, you're a piece of crap here and here. This is why and how have you dealt with that? I'm not running from it saying, making up excuses, telling you why I'm not, why I'm the strongest person ever.

There's a lot of people watching this you're thinking, I can't believe that my lead and a UFC guy are talking about these things, right? Because this is ultimately, this is ultimately like unbelievable life and white advice that you're giving people. I'm telling you. And the most people look in the mirror, say,

I'm not gonna advise them, just talking. He asked the question. No, you know what I'm saying? Well, it's counsel. But it, it, it, it, it, it, people take it as advice. I know what you're saying. You're like me. Neither one of us think we have any of this stuff figured out.

But yet, when you share your own experience like this brother and as well as those telling you, it's like, honestly, you don't know the difference this is making. Already the emails are coming in already the direct messages are coming in saying I can't believe he said this. That's exactly how I feel. I'm so glad to hear that a world champion thinks in his thought like I do. It gives people hope man because people see you like you're infallible. You're a warrior and and you come across, by the way, you know this when you go on the ring,

you've talked a little bit, you come, and so this is a side of you, most people don't know, right? They don't know this side of you. I've made it a plan, and this, I think, is the other reason why I was able to be a lot of the top athletes that athleticized me and surpassed me in sports is my vulnerability.

I really believe that that is actually probably my biggest strength in fighting. Really? I do. Anybody have vulnerability? Anybody have that? You mean so open? If you talk to a lot of fighters, they'll never, ever explain their weak times. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They never let you look behind. Never let you. Never say, oh yeah, he rocked me a little. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And never say, oh yeah, he he rocked me a little yeah, yeah, yeah, and never say oh yeah, I had a off night and it's always I had an off night, but yes, that it out of that It's never he was better than me that night. He was a little sharper. He did plan. It's never that. Yeah, it's never that I got so tired of hearing the excuses after I beat 20 plus people right and hearing them say the same

20 plus people. Right. And hearing them say the same hog shit. Yeah, you're like, look, I beat you, dude. Right. Like, you can't even lose like a man. Right. It's pathetic. Well, that's what you just said.

So I think that's a man. I think the most masculine thing a dude can be is vulnerable and honest. Like, most mythic masculinity is like, there's this wall. There's nothing on perfect on stress. And every masculine dude I put on this program, people think it's going to be this clash of two masculine dudes. Somehow when we get together, guys even become more vulnerable. It's happened with every single dude that's on

the show. I not acknowledge is the right word for but like I really respect that because I think it's a higher level of confidence to say look man I'm not so perfect this is what I think I'm so confident I'm willing to tell you that's how I see it. It's what it is. And that's that's that's the cryptid that's the cryptidite falling off you. I'm telling you I'm willing to tell you that's how I see it. It's what it is. I don't see it as. That's the kryptonite falling off you. I'm telling you, you're going to be stronger. So curious, just a couple more things in the rain. Like this is gold.

Someone's going to transcribe this, man. So you're in the rain. Have you ever, God bless you. Have you ever been in the rain? And I'm just curious, you're in the middle of a fight and you're like, I'm in trouble. Or up until any point in every fight you've been in, did you think I'm still going to win this fight? Or is that a curty? Is there a point where there's, in other in, did you think I'm still gonna win this fight? Or is that a curty?

Is there a point where there's, in other words, what I wanna know is, does doubt set in ever mid-fight, and you have to fight that doubt creeping in? Does that work? Because people deal with doubt in business, in a life game. You get doubt.

It has never happened to me in a fight. Okay. Because I've already dealt with it by that point. Okay. Yes, it happens every day, but that's what a 12-week camp is. So you wash, so you wash during camp.

You know, you wash that shit out. During the camp. Yes, that shit gets, and it fills up. You ring it out one day, and then it fills back up because you take an ass whooping on a Friday sparring. And then you come back in on Monday

and you choke somebody out twice, and it gets Friday sparring. And then you come back in on Monday and you choke somebody out twice and it gets a little tighter. And then you come in on Tuesday and you get 16 takedowns, you do pads in the middle of it, and you don't get tired, so it rings out a little bit more.

And then Wednesday comes, and you do judo, and you throw somebody on their head. And then Thursday comes, and then you keep ringing it out, and then Friday comes, and you get your ass beat again, and it feels back up. Shit, man, the doubt's back. And then you gotta ringing it out. And then Friday comes and you get your ass beat again and it feels back up. Shit man, the doubt's back.

And then you gotta ring it out again. You're only gonna have to ring it out for so long before it stops filling out. There's no more liquid in the bowl. And then you're just strong and ready to kill somebody and you know it and you have trust and faith that you've rung it out so many times that there's nothing left.

You've already rung it out. You don't, come on. You don't know how good this is, brother. This is so good. It's so good. Okay, so let's talk about the monster kick in it. Let's talk a little bit about. So you're what? You're 32? I am. Okay, so you're going to fight again? I am. Yeah, you don't know when? Well, I have an idea. Okay, you want to keep that? I kind of don't like the cards, the way things are coming in.

I'm still healing, doctor has not cleared me. So, you know, I obviously am a thinker, so I've had some plans, but it will happen, and it will be good. Yeah. Do you want to fight for the championship again? Of course, I think that should be my next fight. But, they play weird games where they wanna give TJ Dillsha

a little bit of an easier fight because he doesn't wanna fight somebody hard after he won the title, he wants an easy fight. And you fought him, right? And you beat him. Yeah. And so he wants to fight somebody that he knows he can keep the belt a little longer

before he gets a really hard right. You know? Whereas I go TJ Dillsha, you're I have favor, Cody Garbrant, and I lose the belt. Yeah. Let's go TJ, like I beat you, don't you want to get that back? Stop going down and looking for little baby boys at 125. Silly dilly.

Silly dilly. So you'd like to fight him next, that'd be the ultimate. That's the fight that matters. Everybody wants to see if he can beat me and everybody wants to know, everybody knows I can beat him. Why wouldn't we see that again? Yeah, I'd love to see that again. I just don't understand why I wouldn't, why I would go any other way.

So you got to get, you got to get the arm a little bit healthy again, start training again. That's the one thing that they're, that they're, that would turn it off is does TJ want to fight with my arm heels timing. Okay. My arms pretty good. I have I don't know limited amount of time the doctor clears me to punch. I'm already clear to exercise. So I'm already exercising. I just can't punch with it yet. So when you talk about this guy your face changed a little bit like just did it? Yeah. Good. It changed. Do you do that with everybody?

Like in other words, do you get to the point? I don't hate the right word, but I'm using it. No, I definitely don't hate DJ Dillshow or any of these guys. They're like this, like your face changed. Like you went to like a business, I don't know, creepy face on it. Silly. What is that?

No, it's good. No, it's silly to me, the game. You know that, like if I lost to somebody and I was the champion, I'd want that fight. You want to go get that guy, right? especially if it's a blinish. I know you did that was that yeah You did with favor. Yes, I had to have that back You wanted it and I want to get it back. I want to get my loss back from Cody too, but he lost So what's I want the guy that's the champion? So you beat TJ then fight Cody if you wish to fight of course I get the belt back from beating TJ and then I give Cody a shot. You would. You're saying that right now?

Yes. That's awesome. Because that's what it is. That's news just so you know. You know, that's what it is. That's where it should be. Because I lost to Cody, so I wouldn't. All right, let's see if I made the adjustments.

Yep, so you want that reciprocated with DJ. But can't expect people to think the way I think because that's unfair. But there's like this look of this stain as you're disdain for the process or you just like you want to. Sad for him. And what regard would he make? He's not challenging himself, doesn't get it, doesn't see the big picture.

There's only a few people that generate interest in this division. That's right. I'm one of them. There's no way fans are about it. That's right. So where are you going? That's the fight people want to see.

There's only certain fights that create interest in this thing. And he's running all over the place anywhere, but where the interest is. It blows my mind because how do you sell pay-per-views? How do you get people to tune in if you're dodging the people that generate the most of that? You're gonna just because you want safety. Is there another dude in between the two or three of you that most people would want to go see?

Not really. I mean the thing is there's a top five and anybody in the top five, I truly believe has the anybody in the UFC that's in the top five. But you're the only guy in the top five that he's lost to. I think so. You are. Okay. Well I think anybody in the top five, that's my point. Yeah. Well, I think anybody in the top five, that's my point. It has the potential being a champion. If you're top five, that means you have all the tools. You're just missing a couple little things and we'll see if you got it. I'm fired up to see that fight. I think you all are too.

I'll be at that fight. But I'm really fired up to see if some of this stuff you've discovered outside the ring even gives you greater strength inside the ring because that's my belief. That's what I think. Well, it has so far, did from Izogaki, that started when I come back from all the, from the double ACL, reconstruction. This guys come back from injury

after injury adversity, after adversity, I've already felt how it's done for me in my fight game and it won me my third, my fourth title, it won't inform me that, the stuff that I've learned. And I came with a whole different mindset towards that last title, it wanted for me, that the stuff that I've learned. I came with a whole different mindset towards that. Last title, first tell show that I had ever had in my whole career. And it was the strongest I'd ever been mentally. So, I'm confident in making the right steps, meeting people like you, Chris Patterson, you

got to put strong people in your life that you know have succeeded in a lot of the ways that you want to and as I can keep in touch with these people and make sure I'm not going off the beaten path and I'm confident Very confident that I'm doing the right moves in my gut. Yeah, I can tell you you're doing that role for Millions of people who are listening to this they can't get with you one-on-one in a room But I can promise you your words are ringing in their ears. They'll play this over and over again They just heard a world champion repetitive world champion One of the elite fighters and athletes in the world take you inside his brain deep in there

and inside his heart. So it's not easy. He said he had a hard time doing it because you had a hard time being out there for people. And I have the same way, but being vulnerable. I'm proud of you, man. It's hard to do, but if you keep doing it, and I think you're stronger, having hopes. I just gotta keep trying. Yeah, I'm really impressed with you, bro

Yeah, let's hang up. Yeah, we're gonna hang out some fun We're gonna hang out today too. Hey everybody. I hope you enjoyed this time with Dom and if you did Thank you, by the way. Thank you so much It's so good if you did enjoy this make sure you go out there and review the podcast on all the different platforms And it's listened to and certainly followed Dominic on social media on Instagram. What's your Instagram handle? Dominic Cruz. Wow, that'll be easy to remember.

Dominic Cruz. So you go follow Dominic, follow me. If you're not following me as well, max out everybody, God bless you. I'm a max out, max out, max out, I'm a max out, max out, max out, max out,