UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz suffered a knee injury that has forced him to pull out of his UFC 148 bout with Urijah Faber.
The injury occurred while Cruz was training during filming on The Ultimate Fighter Live, on which he is a coach opposite Faber.
It’s true Cruz blew his ACL. Stay tuned for more info
— Dana White (@danawhite) May 7, 2012
Cruz (19-1) and Faber (26-5) have fought twice in the past. Faber submitted Cruz at WEC 26 in March 2007 when the two men competed as featherweights. Following that loss to Faber, Cruz dropped to 135 pounds, became the bantamweight champion and has won 10 consecutive bouts — including a five-round unanimous decision over Faber at UFC 132 last July.
Im bummed people,Thanx 4 the support as i battle this,big sorry to all the fans out there!I WILL recover n I WILL b back 2put on a show!
— Dominick Cruz (@TheDomin8r) May 7, 2012
It is uncertain at this time whether Faber will remain on the July 7 card that takes place in Las Vegas, but if a replacement opponent is named, Renan Barao is a likely candidate. The Brazilian has gone unbeaten in his last 29 fights and would seemingly be next in line for a title shot after Faber. And Faber agrees.
Sucks about @thedomin8r hope recovers fast! Sounds like 9 months aftr surgery @renanbaraoufc seems like the best replacement! @danawhite
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) May 7, 2012
UFC 148 will be headlined by a middleweight title bout between champion Anderson Silva and No. 1 contender Chael Sonnen. Cruz vs. Faber was scheduled to serve as the night’s co-main event.
