Dominick Cruz vacates title after another injury; Faber in against Barao at UFC 169

Dominick Cruz has been forced to withdraw from his UFC 169 title unification bout with Renan Barao due to a groin injury.

Dana White announced the news on ESPN this evening and also revealed that Cruz has vacated the UFC bantamweight title.

Stepping in to replace Cruz against Barao is perennial contender and former WEC champion Urijah Faber, who recently finished highly touted up and comer Michael MacDonald in impressive fashion.

Former champion Cruz (19-1), who is still only 28 years old, has been on the sideline due to multiple ACL knee surgeries since defeating current flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson back in October 2011.

UFC 169 goes down on 1st February in Newark, New Jersey and also features featherweight champion Jose Aldo vs Ricardo Lamas and heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Frank Mir also face off on the card.