Urijah Faber explains why he enjoyed his rivalry with Dominick Cruz

Mixed martial arts legend Urijah Faber has explained why he enjoyed elements of his rivalry with Dominick Cruz.

While he may not be in the greatest of all time conversation, Urijah Faber had a respectable and honorable career during his time as an active fighter. He went in there and competed against some of the very best in his weight class, and now, he’s enjoying life as a coach, helping to bring through the stars of tomorrow.

During his career, Urijah Faber’s biggest rival undoubtedly was Dominick Cruz. The two men went to war on multiple occasions and while Cruz’s run in the UFC went to heights far beyond that of Faber, they really helped to elevate one another in the eyes of both the promotion and the fans.

In a recent podcast featuring Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz, Faber spoke openly and honestly about how the rivalry helped him.

Urijah Faber discusses Dominick Cruz rivalry

“First off, I enjoyed having an enemy because I didn’t have many enemies,” Faber said. “So I was like, ‘I’ve got an enemy. F*ck, let’s run with this.’ So I enjoyed that whole process. I always had a lot of respect and hearing this, even more respect to you. … I remember you talking about the runs that you would do in the morning sometimes. 

“I can’t remember what it was, but you’d have a certain day of the week or a couple of days a week that you would do this intense run at five in the morning or six in the morning or something, and I remember thinking this guy’s going to be trouble because I just knew that you were on track, doing the right s**t, and you had the championship mentality. I saw it and knew it was coming.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

Isn’t it lovely to see two former foes chatting about the good old days?