UFC
UFC Champ Dominick Cruz undergoes second ACL surgery, return pushed further back
Dec 3, 2012 - 3:40:53 PM UFC Champ Dominick Cruz undergoes second ACL surgery, return pushed further back

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Renan Barao will definitely not be allowed to wait out Dominick Cruz's return from injury, as that return has been pushed back even further. The UFC Bantamweight Champion suffered a knee injury in the spring that required surgery, and was expected to be out well into 2013; now, he's suffered another setback.

According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, Cruz underwent a second surgery last week to replace his anterior cruciate ligament. When he went down earlier this year, he had to replace both his MCL and ACL, and while the MCL surgery was a success, his body rejected the ACL replacement.

"He's pissed and disappointed," said Cruz's trainer Eric DelFierro. "But I think he's doing better now. Once he talked to the doctor and found out what was going on, he felt much better."

This second surgery will keep Cruz sidelined for another six to nine months, if it sticks, and that's before he can get back in camp.

Penick's Analysis: Barao has no excuse for not defending the Interim belt now. Cruz may not fight at all in 2013, and the Interim belt was created in order to keep the division moving along as he's out of action. If Barao doesn't want to fight, he shouldn't have that belt, and so I think the UFC will get his camp to go along with another fight. His trainer doesn't want him to be out of action for that long, so he'll likely give in to the idea of a fight with Michael McDonald, or someone else the UFC may put in there. Either way, the UFC needs him to fight, and I think he ultimately will.