UFC light heavyweight Jimmy Crute's 2022 in the cage will end before it even began due to a necessary knee reconstruction operation.
"Absolutely gutted to announce that I will be out for the rest of the year," Crute said. "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."
Crute has lost back-to-back fights to Anthony Smith and Jamahal Hill over the past year. His loss to Smith at UFC 261 was due to a doctor's stoppage after injuring his left leg. It's unclear if the reconstruction is on the same leg that Crute injured.
Crute's loss to Hill at UFC Vegas 44 came by knockout in just 48 seconds.
Crute had once been touted as one of the top light heavyweight prospects in the UFC following wins over the likes of Michal Oleksiejczuk and Paul Craig. He earned a shot in the promotion after an impressive first-round knockout over Chris Birchler on Dana White's Contender Series.
For now, Crute will look ahead to 2023 and work to bounce back in a big way in the Octagon. At 25 years old, he has plenty of time to get back on track in his UFC career.
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