Dominick Cruz is going back to his roots.
When the UFC bantamweight champion begins his stint as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter Live, which debuts on Friday, he will be returning to what led him to the sport he loves.
“I started out my career coaching. That’s how I got into MMA,” Cruz told sportsnet.ca. “I coached high school wrestling for four years then I went on to paying my dues by teaching classes (at my gym), whether it be kickboxing, boxing, wrestling classes. I did about four years of private training, I helped run the gym, I’ve done a lot of stuff. That’s what I started out with and I’m going back to my roots.”
Cruz will coach opposite his rival Urijah Faber — who he has fought twice before, winning once and losing once — in the 15th edition of the popular reality series. This season is different though, as the show has a new, live format. The premiere episode will feature a series of live fights that will narrow a cast of 32 lightweight fighters down to 16.
Cruz has wanted to be a part of The Ultimate Fighter in the past and is looking forward to the upcoming challenge.
“I kind of lobbied (to coach TUF) a little bit before Faber and I fought our last fight but that being said I think the UFC thought that it would be a good idea anyways and it just kind of worked out at the time with Faber winning his last fight and me winning my last fight,” Cruz said. “Everything just kind of fit together and I think the UFC just gave us the opportunity and I appreciate them for it.”
The 26-year-old is not as well-known to mainstream MMA fans as his fellow UFC champions, or Faber, but Cruz’s stint as a TUF coach will be valuable exposure and will increase his stardom.
“I definitely feel that it’s an honour that I’m part of this first (live) format. It hasn’t been done before. There’s a reason why I was chosen for it,” Cruz explained. “You don’t just choose some random person for your first time on something. You want to make sure things go smoothly, things go right, and I think that’s part of the reason I was chosen for this position.
“I’m excited for it because it’s time for the 135-pound division to set the bar for everyone else, not only as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, but who will be in the future. It’s a big opportunity and I plan on making the most of it.”
In past seasons filming would have been underway weeks in advance of the show airing, but with the new, live format initial filming only began on Wednesday.
The Tucson, Az., native lives and trains in San Diego, Calif., at Alliance MMA but will be staying in some fancy Las Vegas digs for the duration of the show.
Not only will Cruz and Faber have to spend hours upon hours coaching their respective teams, but they also have to prepare for their upcoming bout at UFC 148 on June 7 while the show is being filmed.
“The UFC hooked us up with some nice places to stay out here,” Cruz said. “I moved my whole camp out here and we’re going to be training out here and coaching out here at the same time.”
Cruz (19-1) said the way he will train his TUF team will mimic the way he would prepare for a title fight.
“The way I do my camp is I don’t try to fight my fights by myself,” Cruz said. “I am where I am because of my team and coaching staff that help me get there so I made them a part of this situation as well.”
To help prepare his legion of lightweights, Cruz will bring in a cast of characters from Alliance including his head trainer Eric Del Fierro, strength coach Doug Balzarini, Shannon Slack will help with wrestling, Bellator featherweight Wilson Reis for jiu-jitsu, as well as UFC stars Phil Davis and Ross Pearson.
“All those guys are going to be in and out certain days helping out with each and every one of their traditions that they’re the best at,” Cruz said. “That’s how I do my camp and it’s been very useful for me, so I’m going to do the same for these guys that I’m coaching.”
Since they first fought in 2007, Cruz and Faber have frequently pushed each other’s buttons, but Cruz believes being near his rival for 12 weeks while filming won’t be too bad. It could, however, make for some exciting television.
“I’ve got it easy. These guys (on the show) that are fighting have a hard road ahead of them,” Cruz said.
“They’re locked in a house with everybody that they’re fighting and a lot of those guys aren’t going to like each other just like me and Faber don’t like each other. They’ve got it the hard way. I’m just going to take a page out of their notebook and however they deal with it I’m going to deal with it the same way.”
