Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has ruptured the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in his left knee and it will require surgery to repair, meaning his 205-pound clash with Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 on June 7 at the O2 Arena in London, England, is scratched, according to UFC.com.
Here's the snip:
"Scheduled to make his return to the Octagon this June against Chuck Liddell at UFC 85 in London, light heavyweight star Mauricio "Shogun" Rua has instead been forced to withdraw from the bout due to a ruptured ACL in his left knee, the same injury he had surgery on to repair last October after his UFC 76 fight with Forrest Griffin. Surgery on the injured knee will be scheduled shortly, and there is no word on when Rua will be cleared to return to the Octagon."
Rua was looking forward to redeeming himself inside the Octagon after a poor performance against Griffin in his debut. Prior to the loss he was considered to be the man to beat in the 205-pound category.
He'll now have to wait a little while longer to prove that the statement is indeed true.
Liddell is still slated to compete on the card. In fact, the announcement indicated that a new opponent would be revealed "shortly." It more than likely has to be a notable fighter because "The Iceman" will be featured in the main event.
It's hard to determine who the UFC would tab as a worthy replacement, considering that most of the top light heavyweights are seemingly booked.
That list includes Rampage Jackson, Forrest Griffin, Rashad Evans, Thiago Silva, Lyoto Machida, Tito Ortiz, Keith Jardine, Wanderlei Silva, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and Houston Alexander.
Who's left?
(Thanks to MMAmania.com contributor "Mr. NC-17," as well as readers "roy," "VNDK8," "Brandon" and "Kyle" for the assist.)
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