The rubber match will apparently have to wait.
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 but source but could specify the nature or deverity of the injury.
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.
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