Dominick Cruz Could Be Out Of UFC Action For Nine To Eighteen Months

[No More Sorrow]

Dominck Cruz was set to defend his UFC bantamweight title in a rubber match with Urijah Faber until a knee injury put him on the shelf. Faber will now face Renan Barao in the UFC 149 main event with the winner expected to face Cruz.

But, according to Ariel Helwani on UFC Tonight (via MMA Mania), it might be a while before he is able to recover and get back in the Octagon:


Quote:
"He's actually feeling great. You know, he had the surgery on June 6th, a total reconstruction of his ACL and MCL in his left leg. He's feeling great. He's saying he's ahead of schedule right now. Right now, it's a little too early to say just when he'll be ready to return. He's doing the normal physical therapy, right now. This is an injury that could take an athlete nine to maybe 18 months to return to his previous form. So right now, his spirits are high, but he doesn't want to put any kind of date out as far as when he could return to the Octagon."
For a guy like Cruz, who fights a very mobile style, not rushing back is key to "recovering the right way." If that means being out of the cage for 18 months to get a completely repaired knee in order? So be it.


The UFC doesn't let champions come back from major layoffs with a reasonable fight to get adjusted to fighting again, so he's going to have to come off the injury to a hard fight, he needs to be 100% when that happens

Seeing as he hasn't fought since Oct' 11 and could potentially miss 18 months he might not ever be the same fighter he was.

 

[Slim]

wow... that is gonna be an extremely long layoff. But then again GSP hasn't fought since April of 2011 so... it happens. Just gotta see how he is gonna be in his return fight. Could possibly get a gauge as to how Cruz will be in his return.

 

[No More Sorrow]

18 Months at the latest is December of '13, Kind of have a feeling that he'll be asked to give up his title or something if he does end up being out for 18 months.

 

[Slim]

Well yeah after 18 months it'd be right for him to give it up. Although GSP is approaching 18 months as well.

 

[No More Sorrow]

True, i keep forgetting how long GSP has actually been out for.

 

[Slim]

yeah... by time for his fight it'll be 18 or 19 months. And in that time Condit has fought twice... its like... the welterweight division went on hold after Nick Diaz went to retirement.

 

[The Cork]

IIRC they stripped Mir when he had the bike accident and it looked like he was gonna be out a year.

Should do the same here and bump Faber/Barao up to proper champ, give Cruz the interim status for when he returns.

 

[Slim]

IIRC they stripped Mir when he had the bike accident and it looked like he was gonna be out a year.

Should do the same here and bump Faber/Barao up to proper champ, give Cruz the interim status for when he returns.

They should definitely continue with that... but there was a time when it didn't look like Mir would ever return though cause that bike accident was rather bad. With Cruz it def looks like he'll be back.

 

[Troy]

If he is going to be out for this long then I agree he should vacate the title, no point in there being three or four fights for the interim title while they wait for the champion. Make it for the proper title and then when Cruz returns he can challenge immediately for the title.