Sometimes, an injury can be more of a blessing than a curse.

Injuries. It seems like these days we’ve been hearing a lot about injuries and how horrible it is for the sport. Injuries are no fun. They scrap exciting matches, they change the best laid plans, and ultimately just suck for anyone involved; the fighters, the promotions, the fans, no one comes out a winner when a fighter is injured. But is that entirely true? It may sound crazy, but in some cases you have to wonder if injuries can truly be a blessing in disguise. I’m sure not a great deal of people are going to agree with that statement, but there have been instances where a horrible injury has turned out to be the best thing for a fighter. Who has benefited from being out of competition? What fighter has actually turned their injury into a blessing? The answer is fairly simple. Dominick Cruz. Many fighters have had a raw deal, been injured in ways that forever change their destiny ensuring that they’ll never return to the form that made them one of the greatest talents in the world. That wasn’t the case for Dominick Cruz who turned a horrible set of circumstances into a careering changing, career defining opportunity. After suffering an pair of ACL injuries, Cruz was sidelined indefinitely. In order to remain active and stay in the hearts and minds of MMA fans and pundits, Cruz became an analyst for the UFC. The job did more than line Cruz’s pocket with some much needed loot. Cruz was able to analyze the sport on a level that may not have been readily available to him before. When you’re competing it’s hard to shift your focus from being the best in the world at fighting to being the best in the world at analysis. With his injury Cruz was able to sit back and analyze fights and fighters to an extent that he was never able to before. This in itself was a huge factor in Cruz’s overall MMA growth. By analyzing so many great fighters, Cruz had the opportunity to see movements and techniques that could potentially bolster his own game in the future. This acquiring of knowledge was greatly apparent in two fights. Firstly in his comeback fight against Takeya Mizugaki back in September 2014. Cruz absolutely dominated the Japanese star and knocked him out in the first round of their match up. Cruz had never been this hungry, this dangerous, not in a long time. His title winning performance against former champion TJ Dillashaw showed the MMA world that you can never count out Cruz. That and the fact that Cruz had a great deal of answers for most of what Dillashaw brought to the table. That likely couldn’t have been accomplished by simply being a great fighter. It’s Cruz’s mental game that pushed him to such great heights. Constantly having to analyze not only other fighters, but yourself as well can be a key factor to improving your game. It’s something that can’t be considered if you’re free and clear to train as you please. Sometimes having training constraints forces us into uncomfortable positions. But if we can overcome those limitations, we’ll be stronger for it. Cruz expanded his mind and by extension his skill set by taking a forced sabbatical. Maybe if it wasn’t for that injury, Dominick Cruz wouldn’t be the man and fighter that he is today. Injuries aren’t always a blessing, but some times, with in the right circumstances, it can make things turn out even better than they would have before. What’s your thoughts on the injury bug plaguing the UFC? Follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.