Cruz wishes Faber ‘nothing but the best’ in retirement

UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber three times, losing the first one and winning the final two. They talked a lot of trash along the way, but as Cruz explained during a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, it’s over.

“To be perfectly honest, the guy started this sport in the lighter weight class,” said Cruz, as transcribed by Dan Hiergesell for MMA Mania. “When I first started this thing, there was only 155-pounders and up. And because he had a good following in Sacramento, that whole town got behind him, he was able to get people to show up to the shows and be able to make a run for the lighter weight classes. Without him, without a star, an early star in the early days in this sport, the lighter weight classes might not have been made. That’s the truth.”

“I’m appreciative for Urijah Faber. I’m appreciative for the rivalry. I’m appreciative for the fights that I have with that man. I’m going to look back in time and be glad that we fought like we did and said the things that we did about each other, and I’m happy for his future. And that whole thing with me and him is completely buried. Like, I couldn’t be happier that chapter of my life is done, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

Urijah Faber closed out his career Saturday night with a Unanimous Decision over Brad Pickett with unanimous scores of 30-26.