Exactly two months before he was to co-main event the biggest pay-per-view card of the year, Dominick Cruz pulls out of his title fight with Urijah Faber due to a knee injury. The TUF: Live coach injured his knee while training at the Ultimate Fighter gym in preparation for his bout with Faber.
News of the injury first broke as a rumor but, after several sites confirmed report, UFC President Dana White took to his Twitter and confirmed reports. This now leaves UFC 148 without a co-headliner.
The card, which is headlined by a rematch between Chael Sonnen and UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, has gone from being a "can't miss" card to just another PPV. Although still filled with intriguing fights, the two title fights were to be the main draw. Now the question becomes, what does the UFC do?
Cruz's injury is similar to the kind that will sideline Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre until late-2012. For that, the UFC created an interim title that belongs to Carlos Condit. Does the UFC do the same for the bantamweight title? Cruz's opponent at UFC 148, Urijah Faber, is still said to be on the card and the UFC is scrambling to find a replacement. There are several fighters whose names come up.
Renan Barao and Michael McDonald are just two fighters who can stake claim to a possible title shot. Barao is 28-1 with 1 NC in his mixed martial arts career and has not lost a bout in his last 29 matches. He is currently slated to face Ivan Menjivar at UFC 148, so he'll be ready by then for a fight. Barao is 5-0 under the Zuffa umbrella, with a 3-0 record in the UFC. The Brazilian, like most, is a submission specialist. He's won 13 of his 28 matches by way of submission.
McDonald, who is only 21 years of age, last fought at UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans against Miguel Torres. He defeated Torres in the first round via knockout. It was a big win for the Modesto-native and helped solidify his spot amongst the UFC's top bantamweights. The three-month turnaround might be a little quick for the young McDonald, but with a 15-1 record (4-0 in the UFC) he might be ready to grab the spotlight and a title shot.
The UFC has little time to fill Cruz's spot, but the promotion has had great practice in replacing fighters due to injuries or suspension. Replacing a champion in a title fight is not something new in MMA, but Cruz's injury comes at a bad time for the UFC as the build-up to 148 could have been memorable.
Follow me on Twitter @NiteshDutt.
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