It is no secret that Urijah Faber is not a big fan of Dominick Cruz.
During Wednesday’s UFC 128 media conference call, the former World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight king reiterated that point, stating that if he seems uncharacteristically talkative about the UFC’s 135-pound champion, it is because he is speaking the truth.
“I’m the kind of guy who follows my heart. When people ask me questions, I’ll tell them the real answer,” said Faber. “I don’t really like [Cruz] very much. You keep hearing about it, because everybody keeps asking about it. The bottom line is I think the guy kind of chose me as an enemy, and I accept. We fought once, and we’re going to do it again.”
The pair first met in March 2007, when Faber defended his 145-pound title against the WEC-debuting Cruz by guillotining “The Dominator” in 98 seconds. A Cruz-Faber rematch has been widely anticipated since “The California Kid” made the cut to bantamweight last November.
With the 14th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” set to feature bantamweights and featherweights, many have speculated that Faber and Cruz would be natural fits to coach opposite one another on the reality show, and then square off for Cruz’s title.
Before Faber gets his crack at the belt, however, he must first defeat fellow former WEC champion Eddie Wineland. In their respective UFC debuts, Faber and Wineland will lock horns in the co-main event of UFC 128, which goes down March 19 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Though Faber does not anticipate any Octagon jitters during his debut with the WEC’s big brother organization, the 31-year-old isn't ruling them out.
“I’m excited about the debut, but to be honest, I’ve been in some big events before. It’s not too much different for me, really,” said Faber. “But then, you can always say that. Once you get there, it could be a whole different story.”
In Wineland, Faber faces the WEC’s first-ever bantamweight champion. Though Faber admits that Wineland’s punching prowess is impressive, the Team Alpha Male founder believes he’s simply the more complete fighter.
“I’m excited to fight Eddie. We both are fast-paced, and we go for the kill,” said Faber. “I think Eddie has extremely fast hands, and he’s got real straight punches that land. I think, because they are so straight and they have so much structure behind them, that they’re powerful. I would say that he’s a well-rounded fighter, but not compared to me. I’m very good at wrestling, jiu-jitsu and striking. I think he’s very good at one thing, and I think that will be the difference.”
Faber’s first appearance in the UFC will come in just his second bout at 135 pounds. After fighting at 155 and 145 pounds for much of his career, Faber decided to drop to bantamweight after losing three of four fights, as well as his featherweight strap. While much of Faber’s early career was focused on putting on the pounds, he now must keep an eye on his weight for the exact opposite purpose.
“When I first started fighting, the UFC didn’t have a 155-pound weight class, and no one had 145- or 135-pound weight classes. So, I had to go up two weight classes, and I’ve been constantly trying to put on weight for years. I kept getting opportunities to fight for world championships, and I’m never going to let an opportunity like that slip,” said Faber. “I’m able to really eat clean and I feel incredible. I feel stronger walking around at 151 than I did at 157, because I was so stuffed all the time.”
If Faber does defeat Wineland, he will likely receive his shot at the elusive Cruz and his championship belt. Should Faber be successful in his venture, the bantamweight believes he will enter a realm reserved for only an elite list of fighters.
“I think when people look back at the [top] pound-for-pound guys, they are going to ask, ‘Who were champions in different weights?’ I’m going to be one of those guys. I did the hard part first, which is the heavier weight class. Now I get [a shot] at the lighter weight.”
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