Urijah Faber Earned UFC 199 Title Shot With Patience And Perseverance
After fading from the 135-pound title picture during the past two years, patience and perseverance finally paid off for Urijah Faber when he was awarded a fourth UFC title shot and a third crack at UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz in the co-main event of UFC 199 on June 4th.
With the WEC’s featherweight belt around his waist and a record that then stood at an impressive 17-1, Faber first faced Cruz at WEC 26 in March of 2007 as a substantial favorite. For Cruz, the bout marked the beginning of a very successful run in the WEC. But on that night, Faber made uncharacteristically quick work of his nemesis, submitting Cruz in the opening round of their 135-pound title fight.
The victory allowed Faber to retain his WEC crown, and Cruz would eventually win each of his next seven fights with the promotion before joining the UFC as arguably the best bantamweight on the planet. But, although nobody knew it at the time, that one fight would ignite one of the longest-standing rivalries in MMA history.
A little more than four years later, these two would meet once again when Faber welcomed Cruz to the UFC in the promotion’s first bantamweight title fight at UFC 132 in July of 2011. The rematch looked nothing like the original, and this time around, it was Cruz who had his hand raised after earning a unanimous-decision victory.
Since then, the rubber match has been officially scheduled and eventually cancelled on at least one occasion that we know of — the trilogy bout was set for UFC 148 in 2012 before a knee injury forced Cruz to withdraw. But even after all these years and a string of medical misfortune that almost ended Cruz’ career, the rivalry remains and fight fans are definitely interested in chapter three.
When the fight was first announced as the co-main event of UFC 199 during the UFC “Unstoppable” press conference in early March, it was clear that his unfinished business with Faber is something that’s always weighed heavily on Cruz’ mind.
”I wanted this fight because all I’ve had is those questions about Faber for the past three years while I’ve been hurt,” said Cruz.
”Everybody’s pissed off because I’m the champion,” added Cruz. ”Faber hates me, [T.J.] Dillashaw hates me, probably most of the division hates me. I’m excited to be the reason why he [Faber] retires and why he’ll never touch the UFC belt.”
When you stop and think about it, it’s borderline unbelievable that Faber has never won a UFC title. Along with being the only fighter to have ever defeated Cruz, a former WEC 145-pound champion, and a pioneer of the sub-welterweight divisions, Faber has also been a legitimate contender in two weight classes.
UFC 199's Urijah Faber vows not to become first 0-4 UFC title fight competitor https://t.co/c4vChxdN9T
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 26, 2016
Of course, losing a pair of title fights to former bantamweight king Renan Barao automatically sentenced Faber to life with no chance of another title shot during the Brazilian’s reign. Yet, despite entering UFC 199 with an 0-3 record in UFC title fights, Faber remains confident, telling MMA Junkie that he’s not about to let an opportunity to claim his very own UFC crown pass him by again.
”This fight is another opportunity and it’s a testament to me continuing to improve and continue to stay on my game for over 13 years,” said Faber. ”The last time Dominick and I fought, it was a very close fight. If you watch the fight I didn’t have trouble catching him on the chin on multiple occasions. I plan on doing the same thing. This is a big opportunity and I’m going to seize the day.”
Following his loss to Cruz in the summer of 2011, Faber briefly bounced-back before losing another bantamweight title tilt to Barao just one year later. And after recovering from that loss with four straight wins, a second unsuccessful attempt to dethrone the Brazilian in February of 2014 seemed to mark the end of Faber’s time as a UFC contender.
Three victories, a featherweight loss to Frankie Edgar, and almost two years later, Faber’s unanimous-decision win over 13th-ranked Frankie Saenz at last December’s UFC 194 gave ”The California Kid” an opportunity that many weren’t expecting. But unlike their first meeting more than nine years ago, it’s Faber who’ll enter the trilogy bout as a heavy underdog, and Cruz who’s considered to have the brighter octagon future.
Champ Dominick Cruz promises to 'put a clinic' on Urijah Faber in UFC 199 trilogy bout https://t.co/rJR4r4Dv01
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 27, 2016
Not surprisingly, during Faber’s interview with MMA Junkie, none of that seemed to matter. And as always, Faber will be relying on the same patience, perseverance, and experience that brought him back to this point when he faces Cruz on June 4th.
”The odds don’t matter to me,” said Faber. ”I don’t think people have a real understanding of how this sport is so malleable. The truth is, this is a fight I’m going to win. The betting odds or whatever, it doesn’t really matter.”
”This has been a long journey,” Faber added. ”It’s been 13 years of trying to get this done. It’s a very familiar place for me.”
[Photo By-Steve Marcus/Getty Images]
