Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz and former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey have something in common. Which is that they both suffered defeats at UFC 207, only Cruz lost a title that night.
Rousey is currently in the midst of a two fight losing streak and Cruz has some advice for the former champion, which came from his own life experience.
“We’re all putting so much into this one thing that we think that is our everything,” Cruz said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “It sounds cheesy, but if you put all that energy towards loving yourself and not the fight career, the fight career will still be there just as heavy as it is. She’s using the fighting as her identity. With that championship belt, she is Ronda Rousey, the Ronda Rousey. Without the championship belt, we don’t know who she is. She won’t come out (in public). So, who are you unless you’re winning? We don’t know. Do you know? You’re counting on that belt to know who you are now. That was my biggest point. That was a hurdle I ran into when I lost my belt. I didn’t know who I was anymore -- that’s how I knew this. That’s how I figured out what my issues were.”
Neither Cruz or Rousey have competed since their defeats at UFC 207. While Cruz is still figuring out his future in the sport, he also feels heartbreak towards Rousey’s loss as well.
“It’s heartbreaking for me, I know what she’s feeling, I know what she’s going through,” Cruz said. “As a female, it’s even on another level, I can’t imagine that. It’s a different level of scrutiny. It shows how hard it is to deal with this, man. The ups and downs. Because the downs hit hard, just as hard as the ups hit. There can’t be any separation in who you are with the win and a loss because if there is, it’s gonna show. You gotta be who you are and not be solely connected to fighting as your whole being. Otherwise, you’re over when it ends.”
Cruz will be seen next in the commentators booth at UFC 209, which is taking place on Saturday, March 4.
