by MMAjunkie.com Staff on May 07, 2012 at 3:05 pm ET The rubber match will apparently have to wait. According to multiple reports, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) has torn his ACL and is now unavailable to face opposing "The Ultimate Fighter: Live" coach Urijah Faber (26-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 148. The injury was first reported by PhyteGurus.com and has since been confirmed by multiple sources, including MMAWeekly.com. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) confirmed a Cruz injury with a separate source but could specify the nature or severity of the setback. UFC officials have yet to make a formal announcement, and it's currently unknown if Faber will take another fight in the interim or wait for Cruz to heal. Multiple requests to UFC officials for comment by MMAjunkie.com went unanswered. UFC 148 takes place July 7 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view, and FX and Facebook are expected to carry the prelims. Cruz vs. Faber III was originally expected to take the headlining slot of the event, but logistical issues forced the move of Anderson Silva (31-4 MMA, 14-0 UFC) vs. Chael Sonnen (27-11-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) II from a planned Brazilian slot to the main event of UFC 148. Cruz and Faber currently serve as opposing head coaches on "The Ultimate Fighter: Live." Their traditional coach-vs.-coach bout was set to place a month after the reality show's conclusion on FX. It would have been their third meeting overall; Faber won the first at WEC 26 via submission to defend the WEC featherweight title, and in 2011, Cruz avenged the defeat with a unanimous-decision victory at UFC 132 to defend his UFC belt. A timetable for Cruz's return has yet to be established.
If there is ever a fighter in MMA whose style will be hampered by a reconstructed ACL, it's Dominck Cruz. All the movement and the short quick burst will be tough on a surgically reconstructed knee. Luckily Cruz is only 26 so he should recover as well as anyone can. The funny thing is that the UFC pulled the Bisping-Tim Boetsch match from UFC 148 because the card was already loaded. Now, not so much. I mean the Silva-Sonnen main event is huge but Griffin-Ortiz III is a shitty co.
Uriah Faber saying that Ronda Rousey is the one that hurt Cruz. I don't know if he is being funny or serious.
That chick's judo throws could bust a dude up. It wouldn't shock me. Faber better be careful the way he tries to spin it. If he comes off like "Cruz got hurt by a girl", she might twist him up next. LOL.
