UFC
Urijah Faber still wants third fight with Dominick Cruz, expects it to happen eventually
Sep 22, 2014 - 3:45:09 PM Urijah Faber still wants third fight with Dominick Cruz, expects it to happen eventually

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Perhaps the biggest rival in Urijah Faber's career, Dominick Cruz, returns to action this weekend after three years out due to a series of injuries.

At the time of the first injury, Cruz was set to face off against Faber in their third bout with one another, coming off their coaching stint on "The Ultimate Fighter: Live." Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury that brought about the first of what would be multiple surgeries.

Now that Cruz is returning against Takeya Mizugaki at UFC 178, Faber remains interested in settling things in a rubber match in the future.

"Of course I still want to fight Dominick," Faber said unequivocally in an interview with MMAjunkie.com. "I hope that he comes back and performs well... I hope it's a great fight and we're going to see Dominick leaving off right where [he was when he] got injured. You never know in this sport, but I'm sure that's a fight that will happen."

Penick's Analysis: It's entirely possible that Cruz fights T.J. Dillashaw next if he beats Mizugaki. However, if Raphael Assuncao beats Bryan Caraway next month, he's another fighter with a real case for a title fight. If the UFC opts to give Assuncao the shot he deserves, they could also put together the Cruz-Faber rubber match, which could be a big seller down the line as well. There are some options depending on what happens in a couple of these upcoming fights, but I think it only makes sense for the rubber match to eventually happen.

[Urijah Faber art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]