ACL's, Cruz and Rose |
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Lay_N_Pray
In Full Mount
Career record: 206-117
Season: 0-0 (#-)
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I, like many, was upset to hear about Cruz's injury because who honestly doesn't like a trilogy based around a genuine feud between two fighters. I was really looking forward to the drama unfolding in the octagon and a chance for one of the two men (likely Cruz) to take another huge step in establishing himself as a true star of the sport.
After I got over my initial disappointment, I realized the chances of seeing Cruz turn into a true pioneer of the first generation of "little fighters" has gone up in smoke. An ACL tear would be tough for any fighter to truly recover from, but when you look at the style of Cruz, the injury is in my opinion a career ender. I know we don't know much about the extent or severity of the injury, but we do know the ACL is torn and that's about all you need to know with a fighter like Cruz.
My mind immediately went to Derrick Rose and how I am nearly positive he will not return to form as the athletic freak he played like. With Cruz, who is all about disguising strikes and timing with his lateral movement and quick and constant cuts, his entire style would need to change and chances of developing a second world-class set of skills is highly unlikely.
Comparatively, an ACL tear would likely spell the end of a Lyoto Machida. However, if a Nate Diaz tore his ACL, I think the chances of returning to form would still be high as he is much more of a plodding technician.
So the question is, no matter the severity and extent of the ACL tear, is Cruz destined to be nothing more than a B-level fighter upon return? And do you think an ACL tear would mean the same fate to all fighters or just a special set?
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Post #1 5/7/12 10:38:16PM
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Twenty20Dollars
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 847-533
Season: 0-0 (#-)
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Isn't GSP coming back from ACL injury or something like that?
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Post #2 5/7/12 11:48:16PM
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Lay_N_Pray
In Full Mount
Career record: 206-117
Season: 0-0 (#-)
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True, he is. And he does need explosion for wrestling, but I feel GSP is even more of a "safe" fighter than Cruz and prefers working from the guard, in which he is clearly not straining his leg tendons anywhere near as much as Cruz, who loves dancing on his feet much, much more than GSP.
That's not to say GSP could be a completely different fighter when he comes back. I just think he has a better chance of working around his injury compared to a fighter like Cruz. But we'll see.
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Post #3 5/8/12 12:23:46AM
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Combat Sport and Fitness
Career record: 375-265
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Location: Mean streets of Enumclaw, WA
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i agree that it will be a very difficult injury for cruz due to his style. i dont see it as a career ender, i think he's got a long road of recovery and a difficult one at that. if comes back and loses to faber, that will make it even more difficult.
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Post #4 5/8/12 12:46:53AM
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Remember Paul Herrera
Career record: 1017-538
Season: 20-4 (#60)
Location: You think you can tell heaven from hell?
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I actually think someone with a style like Gsp's would be more affected by this type of injury than Dominick.
Fighters who rely heavily on Explosion will strain their ACL more than someone who just moves around alot.
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BJ Penn beat Frankie Edgar more times than Benson Henderson beat Frankie Edgar.
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Post #5 5/8/12 1:07:49AM
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DancingDoll
In Full Cowgirl
Career record: 350-184
Season: 21-3 (#45)
Location: Canada
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I don't think it's necessarily career-ending, especially for an MMA fighter.
I know a principal ballet dancer that tore her ACL and was back onstage in lead roles after surgery/rehab. If she can dance again, surely Cruz will be able to be dancing around the octagon again one day too.
His size and conditioning will favour him on the road to recovery compared to bigger/heavy athletes who suffer ACL tears. He may have to make some adjustments, but I can't imagine this would force him into B-level fighter status.
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Post #6 5/8/12 7:59:15AM
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Steady MODdin'
Career record: 1016-583
Season: 17-7 (#771)
Location: Milwaukee
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I've said it before, but I've had both knees done multiple times, and you can come back from an ACL, but you are never the same after. Granted, after going through a couple of cadaver ligaments, I'm probably more apt to think that it's a tough one to get back to 100% from. I'll add that age is an extremely important factor from my experience, and those who I know that also have torn their's. It's an obvious thing, but you don't realize how big of a deal it is until you have one after you're a little longer in the tooth.
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Post #7 5/8/12 9:50:18AM
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postman
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 564-321
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Delmont ,Pa
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Do you doubt that Cruz could change his style of fighting to counter the effects of the injury, If there really even are any?
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Post #8 5/8/12 12:21:06PM
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BlueSkiesBurn
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 490-347
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Wes Welker: That Is All
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Post #9 5/8/12 2:40:58PM
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ghandikush
MMA Sensei
Career record: 84-51
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Posted by Lay_N_Pray
True, he is. And he does need explosion for wrestling, but I feel GSP is even more of a "safe" fighter than Cruz and prefers working from the guard, in which he is clearly not straining his leg tendons anywhere near as much as Cruz, who loves dancing on his feet much, much more than GSP.
That's not to say GSP could be a completely different fighter when he comes back. I just think he has a better chance of working around his injury compared to a fighter like Cruz. But we'll see.
agreed, GSP has never been a powerhouse wrestler, he is much more technical. Cruz relies on his legs nonstop. Makes a rematch with Faber much more interesting.
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Post #10 5/8/12 3:05:42PM
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