Daniel Cormier won the UFC light heavyweight title essentially with one anterior cruciate ligament.
Cormier, who earned the belt at UFC 187 last month with a submission win over Anthony Johnson, now needs biological injections — platelet rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell — because one of his ACLs is all but gone, his doctor told him.
The new champion doesn’t want surgery, so the injections will help with swelling and pain. Cormier is confident in the treatment, because his doctor has had good success with this approach in other pro athletes.
Despite the creaky knee, we will still likely see Cormier before the end of the year. He’s confident he will be able to fully train in four to six weeks and fight in four months if there are no setbacks. Cormier would like to fight at UFC 192 on Oct. 3 in Houston, which is not far from his hometown of Lafayette, La.
Cormier (16-1) is expected to meet Alexander Gustafsson for the title regardless of where and when it will be defeated. The former Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix winner won the vacant title from Johnson last month after Jon Jones was pulled from the fight with Johnson following his felony arrest in April.
Jones beat Cormier by unanimous decision at UFC 182 in January, but has been suspended indefinitely and stripped of the title.