Urijah Faber on why he gets a lot of title shots: There is a story behind each fight

It’s not all that surprising that a rivalry, a pretty bitter one at that, exists between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber.

Cruz is the UFC’s bantamweight champion and, unquestionably, one of the three or four finest fighters in the world. He’ll make the first defense of the title he regained in January when he meets Faber on Saturday in a rubber match in the co-main event of UFC 199 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.

Cruz hasn’t lost in more than nine years, when he was submitted by Faber in the first round of a March 24, 2007, featherweight title match at WEC 26 in Las Vegas.

He’s reeled off 12 consecutive victories since then, including one over Faber as well as another over Demetrious Johnson, now considered by some to be the No. 1 fighter in the world.

An incredible series of injuries sidelined Cruz for the better part of four years, making his title-winning effort in January over an elite champion like T.J. Dillashaw all the more incredible.

Faber, ever the competitor, wants that belt. He’s sick of hearing how he has lost six consecutive championship bouts between the WEC and the UFC, and wants to prove once and for all that he’s the better fighter than Cruz.

Cruz won their bout at UFC 132 on July 2, 2011, a close bout that some felt could have gone Faber’s way.

And Cruz, who has turned into one of the best television analysts in the sport, concedes Faber’s talent.

“Faber’s the type of guy, if you match him up against anybody in the top five, he can still compete pretty well,” Cruz said.

Indeed, if you throw out his title-fight losses to Cruz and two to Renan Barao, Faber is 9-1 in the UFC with the only defeat coming at the hands of featherweight Frankie Edgar.

Despite that title-fight losing streak that stretches back to WEC 36 on Nov. 5, 2008, Faber is still convinced he’s the world’s best 135-pounder.

“Everyone wants to talk about all these losses [in title fights] like I’m a nobody and I’m getting blown away, but the truth is, every fight is an individual story,” Faber said. “I’ve had three UFC fights, title fights. The Cruz fight, I still feel like I could have won very easily if the judges had given me the nod. That doesn’t break down my confidence.

“I had a fight against Barao, a short-notice fight when Cruz was injured, and I lost a lackluster decision. I don’t feel I fought my best. And in the third fight, [again against Barao], I took another short-notice fight because Cruz was injured again. I tore my hamstring four days into that two-and-a-half-week camp. I got caught with a heavy punch, and I wasn’t out, but it was stopped. When you look at the losses, there is a story behind each of them.”

And Faber aims to alter the story’s ending on Saturday. He is one of the world’s most popular fighters and is among the UFC’s biggest draws. It’s a fair bet that he’ll be the easy fan favorite on Saturday.

While he’s gotten plenty of criticism for the large number of title fights he’s gotten without a win over the past seven-plus years, he points out he’s earned them.

“I’ve only lost to six guys in this world in the last 13 years,” Faber said. “Cruz hasn’t faced any of those guys. I’ve beaten a lot of top contenders, former champions, et cetera. People are so cut and dried sometimes the way they look at these things. What they don’t realize is that I’ve been a top fighter my entire career and I will continue to be.

“One good day and a nod from a judge, or a punch that lands solid or a submission that slips in and I’m the world champion. That’s why I keep getting opportunities and that’s why I keep taking them.”

But Faber has something that Cruz wants, which is why the rivalry has hit such a fever pitch. And that is the public acceptance that Faber has long had.

Faber was the face of the WEC and the history of promotion is almost like a history of his career. He won the WEC featherweight belt at WEC 19 when he knocked out Cole Escovedo on March 17, 2016. He defended it successfully five times, including against Cruz, until he was stopped by Mike Brown at WEC 36 on Nov. 5, 2008.

Cruz has morphed into a superstar in the cage, even if he hasn’t become the kind of draw that his talent suggests he should be. Cruz is ranked No. 4 pound-for-pound by the UFC and has a style that has yet to be figured out.

No matter what he does, though, it seems he can’t put Faber into his rearview mirror. The reality is, while Faber has earned his title shots via his performance, his popularity certainly doesn’t hurt. The UFC is a business and the goal is to sell tickets and pay-per-views. At the end of the day, Faber sells more of both than any of the other bantamweights.

“The guy, he put himself in these positions,” Cruz said of Faber. “Me not liking him helped vault him into these positions even more. So I knew [another fight between us] was probably going to happen again. I hoped it would.”

Despite his long injury layoffs, Cruz has perfected that elusive style for years and is probably at the peak of his fighting ability. No one has really decoded his game and demonstrated where the weakness lies.

He’s finally getting the credit for being a star in the cage. But have no doubt that it has to burn Cruz to see the rock-star treatment Faber routinely gets from the fans. When he walks to the cage Saturday at The Forum, it’s going to be deafeningly loud, because it always is.

And that’s what fuels Cruz, to obtain that kind of passion and respect from the fan base.

So, the feud carries on and probably won’t end no matter the outcome on Saturday.

Faber’s teammate, Cody Garbrandt, is also a bantamweight contender, and he didn't hesitate to rave about Faber’s commitment. He also said Faber has been fueled by his dislike of the champion.

“I would say hatred,” Garbrandt said when asks what motivates Faber after all these years. “It’s hatred, man. His back is against the wall and he wants to do this so badly. … He’s had an amazing career and he’s done everything, but it means so much to him still to go out there and win this fight.

“Urijah is as good as he’s ever been, and there’s a reason for that. He’s a very smart fighter. He’s had so many fights, and he’s learned from those, and he’s always in the gym working. He’s an incredible student of the game. That’s why he has had this success and this longevity. He practices what he preaches. He lives the martial arts lifestyle. He is in incredible shape, he works so hard and he is so committed to being better. That passion is still there.”

It is there for both of them. And it’s a primary reason why Cruz-Faber III could steal the show from a stacked card on Saturday.