Dominick Cruz, the newly inducted UFC Hall of Famer, has a unique message for Conor McGregor following the Irish fighter's recent injury.
Rather than a simple 'get well soon,' Cruz offers insight from his own experience with serious injuries.
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The former bantamweight champion, who suffered multiple career-threatening injuries himself, spoke with TMZ Sports about the situation. He believes the injury could ultimately benefit McGregor.
"I think that at the end, he's going to learn that this happened for him, not to him.
And it's going to make him a better man if he chooses the direction that God wants him to," Cruz said.
Cruz endured a brutal stretch of injuries, including blowing out his knee twice. He emphasizes that the real battle is not inside the Octagon but within oneself.
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"As somebody who hurt myself three years in a row, back to back to back, that's where I learned the most that it wasn't the training or my body that was the problem.
It was my mind, my heart, and my soul that were creating the physical problems in my body," Cruz explained.
He added, "And I think Conor is going to learn that. There's no other way to learn it except to go through it."
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Cruz hopes McGregor does not have a full-blown ACL tear, but regardless of the severity, he believes Conor can overcome the obstacle.
The key, Cruz says, has little to do with fighting ability.
"Once I got my things sorted in regular life, which is 90% of what we live, fighting becomes the gift, the cherry on top.
It's not the thing you need to save you," Cruz stated.
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Cruz also reflected on his Hall of Fame induction weekend, calling it an incredibly special honor.
