Dominick Cruz may be out for up to 18 months rehabbing from injury

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz announced a bit of a "good news-bad news" scenario yesterday (June 19, 2012), when he tweeted:

@TheDomin8r: So stitches r out n no more crutches! After 2 more weeks I downsize my knee brace, n then I'll b walking like a champ!!

As most mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are aware, Cruz was forced out a trilogy grudge match with Urijah Faber at UFC 148 in "Sin City" on July 7, 2012, due to a serious knee injury suffered during training.

"UFC Tonight's" Ariel Helwani spoke with "The Dominator" about his recovery from surgery, as well as a possible timeframe for his return to action:

"He's actually feeling great. You know, he had the surgery on June 6th, a total reconstruction of his ACL and MCL in his left leg. He's feeling great. He's saying he's ahead of schedule right now. Right now, it's a little too early to say just when he'll be ready to return. He's doing the normal physical therapy, right now. This is an injury that could take an athlete nine to maybe 18 months to return to his previous form. So right now, his spirits are high, but he doesn't want to put any kind of date out as far as when he could return to the Octagon."

If all goes according to plan, Cruz is expected to face the winner of Urijah Faber vs. Renan Barao when the two face off at UFC 149 in Calgary, Alberta on July 21, 2012.

Keep it locked to MMAmania.com for updates on Dominick Cruz and his road to recovery.