"I respect him a lot" - Urijah Faber describes his current relationship with 'frenemy' Dominick Cruz
Time heals all wounds, and Urijah Faber's adversarial relationship with Dominick Cruz is no exception. The retired UFC star spoke about the current state of his relationship with the former bantamweight champion in an appearance on Submission Radio:
"I think that Dom and I are longtime frenemies," Faber said. "I've got his phone number and we talked on occasion and kind of crushed the beef. I respect him a lot and I feel like it's the same for me but it wasn't always the case with that."
The Team Alpha Male patriarch also revealed how an awkward situation turned into a fence-mending moment for himself and Cruz. According to Faber, the UFC's public relations team put him and Cruz on a United Service Organizations (USO) tour together.
Faber shared that he was forced to work with Cruz as they participated in a military drill as part of the event. 'The California Kid' added that spending time with the servicemen puts into perspective how insignificant UFC rivalries are compared to what they fight for.
"We're fighting for money and clout and we were there to spend time with people who are putting their lives on the line for the greater good of our country. So, you're kind of forced to not be petty," said Faber.
The 42-year-old also said that he's been communicating with Cruz even when they were both active. Faber revealed that, even back then, he had been texting the former bantamweight champion, though they mostly did it to talk smack to each other.
"They weren't friendly texts," said Faber. "I mean they weren't like friend-friendly texts. A lot of talking crap and that kind of stuff. But you know what, I think I told you guys what happened."
Watch the full interview below:
Urijah Faber's feud with Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz's stellar legacy was mainly built at the expense of Urijah Faber and his teammates at Team Alpha Male. Naturally, there was animosity between the pair during their time as the UFC's two biggest bantamweight stars.
The rivalry between Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz stems beyond their UFC careers. They first crossed paths at WEC, with Faber handing Cruz his first career defeat via submission.
The foes met again on two occasions, both instances being inside the UFC octagon. Dominick Cruz defended his UFC bantamweight title against Urijah Faber on both occasions. Right now, Faber is retired while Cruz still competes from time to time.