Georges St-Pierre Tears ACL: 5 Athletes Who Never Recovered from Ligament Tear

With the news of Georges St-Pierre's injury taking over the Internet, that is until Albert Pujols decided to take his talents to California, most MMA fans are left wondering where GSP's career sits.

On one had, he's taken relatively little damage throughout his past few fights and is in the prime of his career.

He was in great physical shape before tearing his ACL, and is likely to make a full recovery. But there's always a chance that he could come back and not be the same dominant figure we've known him to be.

These athletes were in midst of some great careers until they were taken down by the injury bug.

Daily Bonus: Carnell "Cadillac" Williams

OK, so Carnell "Cadillac" Williams tore his PCL, but this is one ligament injury that's very close to me as I'm a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

When "Cadillac" entered the league, he looked like an unstoppable force. He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and broke rookie records for a running back.

In 2007 he suffered a torn PCL and is still one of the most gruesome injuries I've ever seen. This injury coupled with others, hindered "Cadillac" from becoming the great running back he could've been.

Michael Redd

Michael Redd of the Milwaukee Bucks was one of the greatest offensive playmakers of the past decade. "In the gym" range perfectly applied to Redd as he could drain a bucket as soon as he walked in the building.

He seemed to be on top of the world following his gold medal with the Redeem Team in the 2008 Olympics but a torn ACL ended his season.

Redd sat out the rest of the year and returned the next season. Misfortune struck again as Redd re-tore his ACL and his MCL and sat out another season.

With offense being Redd's main contribution to his team, the lack of stability in his knees put a hold on his career.

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods' career has been turned upside down the past year from his personal issues. What people seem to forget is he underwent reconstructive ACL surgery on his left knee as well.

After sitting out eight months, Woods returned and had a fairly successful season, but he wasn't the same dominating force he once was.

There was a time when Woods was atop the leaderboards, he didn't move. Nowadays Woods struggles just to make on the board, let alone near the top.

Willis McGahee

Willis McGahee was well on his way to being a top-five draft selection during his final year at the University of Miami until his injury in the national title game.

McGahee had rushed for over 60 yards and a score in a close game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. On a routine screen pass, McGahee was running through the open field when Will Allen went low on the bruising back.

What followed was probably the worst knee injury I've ever seen.

McGahee went from a sure top pick to falling all the way to the 23rd pick.

Daunte Culpepper

Daunte Culpepper had one of the best statistical years a quarterback could have in 2004. He followed his record setting year with a gruesome injury that tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL, reverting the star to a fraction of what he used to be.

For a quarterback who depended on his maneuverability when escaping the pass rush and using his legs to launch the ball down field, he clearly wasn't the same player he was before.

Culpepper attempted to get back on a roll (pun intended) when he returned to his old stomping grounds by signing with the Miami Dolphins but it was clear Culpepper was done as starting quarterback.

Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

While most of the examples I've used have been in other mainstream sports, fans should look no further than Mauricio "Shogun" Rua as to how a knee injury can derail a fighter's career.

Rua was on top of the world when he entered the UFC after the Pride FC buyout. A dismal showing against Forrest Grififn left fans scratching their heads and "Shogun" later revealed he needed surgery.

"Shogun" should've gone down in history as one of the greatest lightheavyweights in MMA history, but instead will always be the biggest example of "what if."