Dominick Cruz, Perpetually Injured Former UFC Champion, Enters Pre-Title Fight Workout on Crutches as a Joke

Domminick Cruz returns to the octagon on Sunday night for his first fight since September 2014. He arrived at his open workout on crutches and did a Willy Wonka roll into the cage. Get it? He’s had some injury problems.

It will be just his second fight since October 2011 when he beat Demetrious Johnson to defend the UFC bantamweight championship. Way back then, Cruz was on a 10-fight winning streak that reached all the way back to 2008. Then injuries hit that kept him sidelined for most of the next 50 or so months. He’s kept busy with various surgeries, rehabs, and of course, being one of the UFC’s most visible commentators on their various FOX channel broadcasts.

His opponent on Sunday (on FOX Sports 1) will be T.J. Dillashaw, the three-time defending champion in the weight class. Dillashaw’s entire 10-fight UFC career has taken place in the four-plus years since Cruz’s last title fight.