White: Decision will be made if UFC champ Cruz can't return in early 2014

Dominick Cruz is coming up on an anniversary, and it’s probably not one he enjoys being a part of.

On Oct. 1, it will have been two years since Cruz last fought. One must go back to the UFC’s pre-FOX network era for the UFC bantamweight champion’s most recent fight, a title defense against Demetrious Johnson. It’s been so long since Cruz fought that Johnson now is the UFC’s flyweight champion, and the cable network the two fought on, Versus, doesn’t exist anymore.

Cruz (19-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) recently told MMAjunkie.com he hoped he would be back by the beginning of 2014. But on Tuesday, his boss, UFC President Dana White, was arguably his most definitive yet on the prospect of the champion returning – or not being ready by that time table.

On Sept. 21, interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao (30-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) will put the temporary title on the line against Eddie Wineland (20-8-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 165, which takes place at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. White said he hopes it’s the last time the interim title is up for grabs before he can put together a unification bout between the winner and Cruz.

“I certainly hope this is the last time we’re doing the interim title,” White said on a media conference call in support of UFC 165. “We’re expecting his return at the beginning of the year, and if he can’t return at the beginning of the year, then we’re going to have to make a decision.”

In the past, White has said there are no official plans to strip Cruz of his title to make the interim titleholder the regular champion. And there still are no official plans to do that – but White appears to be keeping the possibility open in case Cruz finds out from his doctors that the beginning of the year isn’t going to happen.

As of now, though, that’s the timeline he’s been given from Cruz.

“He came in here a few weeks ago and had lunch with me and (UFC CEO) Lorenzo (Fertitta), and he was very confident he’d be ready to go at the beginning of the year,” White said.

After Cruz defended his title against Johnson, he took a coaching spot opposite Urijah Faber on the live Season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” But while on that show, he blew out his ACL training and was forced out of a title defense against Faber.

Faber instead fought Barao for the interim belt, and Barao took the title. In the meantime, Cruz re-injured his knee trying to mount his comeback, and he’s been on the shelf ever since.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, including UFC 165, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.