Dominick Cruz confirms complete ACL tear but plans on returning in 2015
It was exactly two weeks ago that former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz was getting one last sparring session in before heading to Los Angeles to fulfill his commitments as an on-air analyst for FOX when something went terribly wrong.
He was finishing up his training for the day and doing some kicks like he would during any other session when one wrong twist resulted in a snap, crackle and pop. Cruz knew right away it wasn't good.
"What happened is I was drilling. I wish I could tell you I was doing something stupid. I wish I could tell you somebody landed on my leg and busted it. I wish I could tell you I was jumping off a rock into the water and I busted myself doing something silly and fun, but I was training," Cruz told FOX Sports on Tuesday.
"I sparred the morning before I left for FOX Sports, the last time I analyzed fights (The Ultimate Fighter Finale), but that morning I left that Tuesday because the fight was on Friday that week. I got my last sparring session in before I left for FOX Sports and I did fine during sparring, I felt outstanding and I was drilling at the end of our live session and when I was drilling, I threw a left high kick and my knee slid out, popped and I knew I did it right away."
Cruz wasn't able to get to the doctor right away, but once he did they put him into an MRI to have the knee examined to find out the extent of the injury. The waiting game became the hardest part because Cruz was sure he already knew the answer, but couldn't be certain until the results came back.
"I had to wait for the MRI, I couldn't get the MRI when I was in L.A. and then right after that I had to go to Brazil to promote so I didn't get the news literally until I was stepping on the plane to take off to Brazil," Cruz explained.
When the doctors finally called Cruz, his first suspicion was confirmed -- a blown ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in his right knee. The news was particularly devastating considering Cruz had just returned from a three year layoff dealing with the exact same injury in his left knee.
While he wasn't exactly surprised by the news, Cruz didn't let it get him down either. In his previous stint dealing with the same knee injury, Cruz was forced into two separate surgeries to repair the damage after he had a cadaver ligament inserted into his leg that was eventually rejected by his body. The second surgery was a success, but all told Cruz ended up missing just shy of three years because of the ordeal.
This time around, Cruz already knows what he can expect from surgery, rehabilitation and recovery and there's little doubt in his mind that he'll be back before the close of 2015.
"I have to go in and get surgery and rebuild my ACL. The first time I ever hurt my knee to begin with was my left knee obviously, which is the opposite side of where I hurt this time and the big problem with that whole rehab, what caused the quad injury, what caused the second surgery, was because I chose a cadaver tendon my very first surgery. I didn't know the research I know now, I didn't know the rehab that I know now, I'm basically an ACL expert when it comes down to rehabbing and unfortunately that's where I'm at," Cruz explained.
"Now I know the processes I need to heal it correctly and I know the type of surgery I need. So the first time I do it, it won't be a failed one like the first time, which ended up causing me to be out three years."
The surgery to repair the ACL has come a long way in the last few years with many high-level athletes going through the same process and returning as good, if not better, than before. Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre suffered an ACL injury just like Cruz and came back to defend his title multiple times before taking a leave of absence from the sport.
Just recently, featherweight contender Conor McGregor had reconstructive surgery and since coming back he's gone 2-0 with both fights ending with first round finishes. Cruz looks at both of those cases as inspiration for what he'll be able to do once he schedules his surgery in January.
"In a situation like this you look at a guy like Conor McGregor, who came back very quickly from his ACL surgery and that's because the surgery went correct. I look at this surgery in my right knee as the same terms," Cruz said. "I see it as something that's going to be a quick fix. No ACL surgery is quick obviously, but compared to what I've been through it's going to be a quick fix.
"I'm looking at six to nine months like the normal ACL repair and I should be back next year. I'm not happy about this by any means, but it's also not going to drop me into a funk and I'm not going to allow it to stop me."
The timeline for a return to action is rather optimistic for Cruz, who did a mountain of research during his last stint on injured reserve while waiting to come back to the UFC. It seems athletes who endure major reconstructive surgery on one knee can sometimes expect the other knee to eventually give out as well.
"This also happened to GSP. If you look at the history of athletes, anybody who tears their ACL in one knee, more percentages than not, it happens on the other side because of the way that you have to compensate on the other opposite side of your leg in order to fix the one that's hurt," Cruz explained.
The surgery to repair the knee should allow Cruz to come back as good as new, although the delay to his career is admittedly frustrating. Cruz was expected to face current bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw in early 2015 with a chance to reclaim the UFC title he never lost in the first place.
Now he'll spend the better part of 2015 rehabilitating his knee, but that doesn't mean Cruz won't have his eye on the ultimate prize the entire time.
"I swear on everything, I truly believe this is going to be the last big obstacle I run into. I hurt both my hands and rebuilt them. Now my hands feel better than ever because the tendons that I rebuilt literally made them stronger the way that the doctors went in there and fixed my hands. They way I'm looking at this is slowly but surely I'm rebuilding my body from over a decade of wrestling and over a decade of fighting and I'm kind of doing an overhaul is kind of how I'm looking at the situation," Cruz said.
"Now, my left knee feels stronger than it did before I got the ACL surgery and I've had two surgeries on it. I truly, truly believe after I get my right knee fixed, it will be stronger than it ever was before and it's basically like I'm getting two brand new knees. I still see myself having five or six years left in this sport, regardless of what anybody says or thinks. I've got a lot of skill sets and I do believe it's going to come back stronger. It's more about the time of putting in the physical therapy and getting through it."
The biggest response to Cruz's latest injury has mostly been sadness and regret. Unfortunately there have also been a select few who look at Cruz's latest setback as a sign that he's just not meant to compete at the highest levels in the UFC anymore.
While those detractors are few and far between compared to the supporters Cruz has found over the last three years, he promises everybody the same thing when he starts looking at the future past this surgery.
"Look how I came back after three years," Cruz said. "How can I come back in six months to nine months. Why can't I do it? Why can't I come back and be strong as ever. There's no question that I will in my mind."
As far as the title picture at 135-pounds, Cruz exiting the division again just means a few more contenders will get a shot at the belt while he's recovering and fixing his knee. He would like nothing more than to return for the title fight he was promised in September, but in reality none of that matters right now.
Cruz is just focused on getting his knee repaired, rehabilitating like a madman and proving to everybody that he will be back within a year's time.
"I can definitely see myself coming back to the title shot if it's allowed. I don't think the UFC would have a problem with that. I wouldn't have a problem with it, but 100-percent that's wishful thinking. I have to go through this surgery. I can't sit here and say 'yes, I will go for the title'," Cruz said.
"I hope T.J. (Dillashaw) has it because that's the guy I wanted to face, but I really don't care. Regardless of who I get when I come back, I'll be ready and the fans will be happy because I plan to put on just as good of a show as I have recently."
