He had to laugh, because, really, the poster was a joke. His way of coping with it was just to make fun about it. As big as the fight was for somebody like Dominick, who'd been fighting on local shows, had never been to Vegas, had never been out of Tucson, had just moved to San Diego, in a way all these guys try to find a way to cope with the pressure of these events. Realistically that's how that fight got made. We looked at the lesser of two evils and said let's go straight for the belt. He had a good record and that was enough to get him a title shot. He thought I was a punk kid and made his judgments about me at that point didn't think I was worthwhile to even be fighting him."Įric Del Fierro, Cruz's trainer: "At the time Dominick was a beginner. He looks at me in the room and gives me a smug look, like I shouldn't have bothered trying. I don't know if he'll remember but I do because it's stuck in my head ever since. I'm looking at the floor and he kind of paused and gave me a look. I'll never forget, he walked through the hall and I was sitting with my coaches. a learning experience, I thought to myself. After I fought him I was in the back, naturally pretty sad about losing. He went for the takedown and that was pretty much the end of the fight."Ĭruz: "I just knew that I was going to see him again. ![]() I aggressively threw a hook-straight combo that I overshot because I was coming so hard. He talked about wanting to stand up and I caught him with a straight right and a couple of knees. He didn't seem terrible to me but not much happened. The win pushed Faber to 18-1 and unearthed Cruz's first loss in 10 fights.įaber: "It was only a minute and a half. Their fight finished 98 seconds in when Faber latched onto - and held on to well past the tap - a guillotine choke from the mount. I have something to prove to myself and everyone around the world, and he's the guy to beat to do that." I just want to beat him and prove that I'm better and get that loss back. The way I look at it is we've had our rivalry and that's exactly what it is. At the time Dominick wanted to take the championship from Urjiah wanted to get under his skin and he did a good job of it."Ĭruz: "He's trying to say I hate him and I made him my enemy. Urijah literally thinks Dominick chose him as an enemy. Urjiah is an easy-going guy who doesn't dislike anyone. Tommy Schurkamp, Faber's friend of 13 years and right-hand man: "This is a rarity. There's no picture of me on the poster - go figure - so how's he going to recognize me? He goes, 'Oh, you're the guy I'm fighting.' And right off the bat, I can't explain it, that's where the rivalry started." I know who I'm fighting but Faber doesn't know me because I'm nobody. Wineland says, 'Hey, this is Dominick Cruz,' and introduces me to Faber. I didn't think it was a big deal but it turned into something vicious."Ĭruz: "I just met Eddie Wineland for the first time and Eddie goes up to Urijah and says 'Hey, how you doing?' Urijah kinda thinks I'm just with Wineland at this point. I thought those guys would get along great. Theo Faber, Urijah's father: "I definitely remember Urijah saying Dominick was 'kind of a d-bag.'"īrandon Vera, longtime teammate of Cruz at Alliance MMA: "Dominick is so laid-back and easy going. I've been really cool with the guys I've fought. I saw his signature written over my face and I was thinking I don't know this guy. Urijah Faber: "My first impression of the guy came when I was signing the posters we give to charity and the ones the fighters take home. I already had my mind that that's just the guy I want to beat up. No one, least of all Faber, knew a thing about Cruz, a Tucson kid moving up from local shows in Arizona and San Diego, and he aimed to do something about it.ĭominick Cruz: "I already knew who he was because everyone knew who he was at that point. When they met in Las Vegas in March 2007, Faber was in the midst of his best run as a fighter, a big enough star that he alone represented their pending 145-pound title fight on the poster. In the most classic way Cruz despised him for it. That's, after all, how it began.įour years ago, Faber was the man. If Urijah Faber were here to make a comment, he'd smile and wonder why his face hadn't been defiled by Cruz's autograph. It's also the vantage from which he's viewed the world the past four years - sweating on his favorite treadmill or not. ![]() This is where Cruz, the UFC bantamweight champion, sprints. ![]() ![]() Scotch-taped to a window looking out on gray Chula Vista, Calif., roughly superimposed photocopies off the Internet make it appear as if Dominick Cruz is a blink away from slamming Urijah Faber's face with an overhand right. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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