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02/07/10 - Shogun knee damage was severe, surgery was 'reconstruction'
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.
In a text message sent to Fighters Only last night the source said that Rua’s knee has been troubling him for some time and had flared up in the training camp prior to his fight with Lyoto Machida at UFC 113, where Rua earned the belt.
He had surgery days after the fight and is now beginning the rehabilitation and physiotherapy process. This week UFC president Dana White said that Rua is likely to be out of action for around eight months, a number that makes sense in light of the seriousness of Rua’s latest surgery.
The UFC may well put an interim light-heavyweight title in place with Rua being sidelined for so long, although it isn’t immediately apparent who would be contesting it.
Rashad Evans would take one side following his UFC 114 win over Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. The other could be filled by one of several names. Rich Franklin may be in the running following his stoppage win over former champion Chuck Liddell, while Rogerio Nogueira could also get a look in, especially if he wins a rumoured fight with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson.
However, UFC president Dana White said this week that a fight between Jackson and Nogueira is only a rumour and that Jackson could be matched with Machida. If an interim title is created, the winner of that bout could find himself challenging for it.
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