13k shares SHARE TWEET SMS SEND EMAIL If  wasn’t already the unluckiest fighter in the UFC from an injury standpoint, he pretty much has to be now. Cruz announced on his page on Monday announced he has suffered another injury that will put him on the shelf for an as yet undetermined amount of time. This time, an injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee is to blame. “It is with great sadness to report I have experienced another ACL injury,” Cruz said on the social media site. “This time it’s in the right knee, opposite side of my first and second ACL injuries. Leading up to my last fight in September and after, I have practiced a very careful and methodical training and diet regime to keep my body healthy. Unfortunately, this is beyond my understanding and control. I don’t have a timetable for my return but trust and know I will pour my heart and soul into returning to the Octagon. I want to thank the UFC, my fans and my sponsors ahead of time for your support andprayers. I appreciate you more than you could understand. I don’t have any other facts to share right now. I, along with my camp, respectfully request privacy at this difficult time. Thank You.” Prior to this, Cruz suffered two ACL injuries to his left knee, as well as a groin injury that kept him on the sideline for nearly three years. He returned in September and blitzed through Takeya Mizugaki for a first-round knockout. Cruz’s (20-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) win over Mizugaki came at UFC 178 in Las Vegas. But prior to that, he last fought on Oct. 1, 2011, when he defended his bantamweight title against Demetrious Johnson at UFC on VERSUS 6 in Washington, D.C. Since that time, Johnson has dropped a weight class and won the flyweight title – and defended it four times, to give some type of understanding to just how long Cruz was sidelined. Cruz suffered the first of his injuries in May 2012, when he blew out his left knee while coaching Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter” opposite rival UrijahFaber. That postponed their UFC 148 title fight. While rehabbing, Cruz had to undergo a second knee surgery in December 2012 when his body didn’t take to the first surgery properly. After a lengthy rehab through all of 2013, Cruz was set for a title unification bout against then-interim champ Renan Barao at UFC 169. But once again, an injury took him out, this time a torn groin. When that happened, he was stripped of his bantamweight title and Renan Barao, the interim titleholder, became the champion. After Cruz’s win over Mizugaki, it was looking increasingly like he might be in line for a fight against new champ T.J. Dillashaw, who beat Barao at UFC 173. For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the section of the site. , , ,   13k shares SHARE TWEET SMS SEND EMAIL More News