By
John Heinis on Wednesday, December 24
th 2014
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz made a dominant return to the Octagon at UFC 178 in September, his first fight in 35 months, but yet another ACL injury is expected to keep him out of action for a full year.
Meanwhile, a broken ankle suffered in training will likely derail top bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao from getting the next crack at champ T.J. Dillashaw.
“It is with great sadness to report I have experienced another ACL injury,” Cruz wrote on Facebook yesterday afternoon. “This time it’s in the right knee, opposite side of my first and second ACL injuries.”
“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.”
Cruz initially stated that he was unsure of a timetable for his return, but in a subsequent interview with MMA Fighting, said he plans on coming back before the end of 2015.
Furthermore, despite this being the third ACL injury (this time in his right knee instead of his left) in the past two-and-a-half years, Cruz, 29, indicated he hasn’t even considered retiring.
Hours earlier on Tuesday, Assuncao tweeted that a broken ankle would keep him out of action for the foreseeable future.
Assuncao is currently riding a seven-fight win streak and was expected to fight Dillashaw in the first quarter of 2015, but now few options remain for the champ outside of a rematch with Renan Barao or a superfight with teammate Urijah Faber.