Ex-UFC champ Dominick Cruz injured again

MANILA, Philippines – Having recently returned from nearly three years out of action, former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has been sidelined once again as he suffered the third torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) of his professional career.

Cruz (20-1) publicly announced the unfortunate incident via his official Facebook page on Tuesday, December 23.

“It is with great sadness to report I have experienced another ACL injury. This time it’s in the right knee, opposite side of my first and second ACL injuries,” he wrote.

The 29-year-old fighter from San Diego, California first injured his knee in May 2012 when he was preparing for his rubber match against Urijah Faber at UFC 148 and had to go through a complete ACL replacement surgery.

To compound his misery, the cadaver ligament used to repair the knee was rejected by his body and Cruz had to undergo the entire process again.

Cruz was booked to square off with then-interim champion Renan Barao in a bantamweight title unification bout at UFC 169 in February 2014, but a groin injury took him out this time, prompting the world’s leading mixed martial arts organization to strip him off the gold-plated belt.

The 5-foot-8 “Dominator” made his successful Octagon return the past September at the UFC 178 pay-per-view event, where he dispatched Japanese stalwart Takeya Mizugaki in just 61 seconds.

After making a comeback in style, Cruz was expected to challenge reigning bantamweight kingpin TJ Dillashaw in early 2015, but the current situation at hand hampered his objective of reclaiming the 135-pound division’s top prize.

According to Cruz, a timetable for his return to active competition remains unknown as of the moment.

“Leading up to my last fight in September and after, I have practiced a very careful and methodical training and diet regime to keep my body healthy. Unfortunately, this is beyond my understanding and control. I don’t have a timetable for my return but trust and know I will pour my heart and soul into returning to the Octagon,” Cruz stressed.

Along with Cruz’s ailment, bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao revealed that he had broken his ankle in training.

The 32-year-old Assuncao patiently bided his time for a shot at the title, winning seven-consecutive matches.

With both Cruz and Assuncao out of the picture, Barao may be the next man up to vie for Dillashaw’s bantamweight title.

After dropping the belt to Dillashaw at UFC 173 in May, Barao placed himself back on the winning track over the weekend by submitting Mitch Gagnon with a third-round arm-triangle choke. – Rappler.com