The UFC light heavyweight prospect explained he is worried the knee injury could be career-ending if he did not get surgery.
Jimmy Crute is not fighting in 2022.
Crute took to Instagram on Monday to announce that he needs knee reconstruction and will be out for the remainder of the year. The ‘Brute’ explained he accumulated a lot of damage to his knee in his most recent UFC fights and was worried it could be a potential career-ender if he did not get the surgery.
“Absolutely gutted to announce that I will be out for the rest of the year,” wrote Crute. “I need a knee [reconstruction]. I have been putting this off for years but I have sustained too much damage over the last few fights and it has finally come to the point that if I don’t get it fixed it could turn into a career ending injury. I am obviously very disappointed but at the same time a challenge like this is also exciting. It gives me 9+ months to work on other aspects of training and life and come back 100% refreshed and injury free.
“Thank you all for the continued support. I’m not going anywhere and the Bendigo express is still in full motion.”
The 25-year-old did not specify which knee required surgery, but it should be noted that he sustained some nerve damage in his left leg after being finished with a low calf kick by Anthony Smith at UFC 261 this past April. The kick was just below his left knee, so that could be the root of the problem. Beyond his mention of nine months, there is no exact timeframe for a return to the Octagon.
Crute joined the promotion over three years ago and has since gone 4-3 during his UFC tenure. He has earned wins over Paul Craig, Sam Alvey and Modestas Bukauskas but has suffered defeat to Misha Cirkunov, Anthony Smith and Jamahal Hill.