Dominick Cruz undergoes successful hand surgery, expects Summer return

UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz underwent surgery to repair his fractured left hand yesterday.  He reportedly suffered the injury while training for his first title defense against Joseph Benavidez back at WEC 50 and has since managed to fight through the pain.  However, following his latest bout with Scott Jorgensen, Cruz announced that he felt it was time to rectify the issue before moving forward.

If rehabilitation goes as planned, "The Dominator" would like to make his official UFC debut sometime this summer, likely against the winner of the Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland fight at UFC 128.

"It could be six months, but I'm not planning on six months," Cruz told Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com. "I'll say that it will take me eight weeks to recover and 12 weeks to punch again. [My return] has nothing to do with me being ready. That has to do with the UFC booking cards. I can't book myself on a card if I'm not ready. Bottom line is just finding that opening on a card and having the time right on my hand."

Following his 15-hour surgery, Cruz shared various photos from both pre and post-operation.  One of which included this unsightly shot of his surgically-repaired hand.

These photos are available on Cruz's official Twitter account @TheDomin8r