UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will be out of action until March 2011, according to UFC president Dana White, and it seems the knee surgery Rua underwent was much more severe than originally thought. Fighter’s Only had the scoop:
Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua’s latest knee surgery involved a “significant” amount of work and was more like a “reconstruction” of the joint than a standard ligament-repair job, according to a source close to the UFC light-heavyweight champion.
If Rua takes considerable time in returning the UFC may have an interim champion as they’ve done in the past in various weight classes. Rua is coming off an impressive victory over Lyoto Machida but expect Machida to be in any hunt for an interim title. Other names mentioned for a shot would include Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans, though there’s nothing officially in the works. Rua’s had several injury issues, and one has to wonder how the champ’s body is holding out. It’ll be at least March before we find out.