NEWARK, N.J. -- Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz are finally getting the fight they want: each other.
UFC president Dana White confirmed that Faber would fight bantamweight champ Cruz after the former's UFC 128 unanimous decision win over Eddie Wineland.
"Yeah, that fight's going to happen," White said, though he could offer no timeline on the proposed bout.
Though there has been speculation that Faber and Cruz could coach a future season of The Ultimate Fighter, White said no decision has been made on coaches. Cruz though, still has some recovery time ahead of him before he can put pen to paper and sign a bout agreement. He's still on the mend after breaking his hand in his December title defense.
Faber and Cruz have a history with each other.
Cruz (17-1) made his WEC debut back in March 2007, facing Faber in a featherweight title match. Faber had little trouble, winning the fight via guillotine choke in just 98 seconds. The loss was the first and to date, only in Cruz's career. It's been a thorn in Cruz's side ever since, and he's hoped for the chance to avenge it. It seemed unlikely for a while as Faber fought as a featherweight while Cruz dropped a weight class and captured the 135-pound title.
But after lost to Jose Aldo last April, he too moved to 135, paving the way for the possibility. Now it's even closer to happening.
Wineland could have thrown a wrench into the plans, as White said he likely would have earned a title shot if he had upset Faber. Wineland won the first round on all three judges' scorecards before Faber came back with takedowns and a ground attack over the final two rounds.
After his unanimous decision, Faber voiced a hope he'd get a title shot, saying, "Hide your kids, hide your wives, hide the belt."
In the post-fight press conference, Faber made it clear he was coming for gold.
"I like messing with Dominick," he said. "Like I've said before, I feel he chose me as an enemy and I gladly accept it. So I'm just messing around with him and letting him know I'm coming to get his belt."
Source:: MMA Fighting
