"You kind of find Jesus in a time like that" - Dominick Cruz makes feelings known on "excruciating pain" caused by the injury that led to retirement

Dominick Cruz last entered the octagon in August 2022 as he suffered a fourth-round knockout loss to Marlon 'Chito' Vera at UFC on ESPN 41. The two-time bantamweight champion appeared set to make his return against Rob Font at UFC Fight Night 252 this weekend, however, he was ultimately forced to withdraw from the bout and announce his retirement due to a shoulder injury.

'The Dominator' recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show where he discussed the injury, stating:

"I'll be honest, I was on borrowed time when I booked this fight, but because of the state of my body leading into that I was very confident that I could make it and so I booked the fight. Unfortunately, the arm gave out and it had given out before but this time it was different. It was kind of a basic position... It was about an hour of my shoulder sitting out of socket. You kind of find Jesus in a time like that, to be honest. It's just excruciating pain."

Cruz continued:

"At the end of the day when your arm starts turning blue... It's like, okay, is fighting worth as much as my arm? There's a possibility if I keep this route, the arm just stops working. You're not able to lift it... It's do you want your shoulder or is the money you're getting paid worth your arm. And for me, I'm not getting paid big enough dollars that it's worth my arm. Maybe if I was making a few million, maybe that might change it."

Check out Dominick Cruz's full comments on the injury that led to his retirement below:

While Cruz is a two-time bantamweight champion with three title defenses, his career has been marred by injuries. He had competed just four times since losing the title at UFC 207 all the way back in December 2016.

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Dominick Cruz shared retirement message earlier this month

Dominick Cruz took to social media to announce his retirement earlier this month. 'The Dominator' released a lengthy message, which read, in part:

"To the fans worldwide, I have poured every ounce of myself into this sport for the last 25 years. I was really hopeful for one final fight but unfortunately, two shoulder dislocations in 8 months calls an end to this guy’s career. I gave everything I had and put it into preparation and training for this fight —focusing on my cardio and my body for the past year. But sometimes, the body just doesn’t cooperate."

Check out Dominick Cruz's full retirement message below:

Cruz appeared set to face Rob Font in the final bout of his MMA career. His body, however, had different plans leading him to call it quits on his legendary career.