Bantamweight Champ Dominick Cruz Tears ACL, Forced Out of UFC 148 Bout With Urijah Faber

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UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has torn his ACL, forcing him to pull out of his scheduled UFC 148 title defense against Urijah Faber.

Multiple reports announced news of the injury on Monday, and UFC President Dana White later confirmed it on his Twitter account. “It’s true Cruz blew his ACL. Stay tuned for more info,” White tweeted.

Later, Cruz issued his own statement via Twitter: “[I’m] bummed people. [Thanks for] the support as I battle this, big sorry to all the fans out there! I will recover [and] I will [be] back [to] put on a show!”

UFC 148 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a middleweight title tilt between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. The rubber match between Cruz and Faber was expected to be the evening’s co-headliner, but it is unclear at the moment if “The California Kid” will remain on the card to face a new opponent.

Cruz and Faber have been competing as rival coaches on Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the first iteration of the popular reality show to utilize a live format. Their bout was scheduled to take place about a month after the conclusion of “TUF Live” on FX.

Faber defeated Cruz in their first meeting at WEC 26, submitting “The Dominator” with a first-round guillotine choke to retain his featherweight crown in 2007. They two men clashed again this past July, with Cruz successfully defending his bantamweight title in a five-round decision at UFC 133.