Faber ready to complete trilogy with Cruz: 'That's the fight for me next'

A rivalry that's spanned almost a decade could be coming to a close.

Pioneers of the lighter weight classes dating back to their World Extreme Cagefighting days, Urijah Faber and Dominick Cruz, always seemed destined to collide once again. Now that Cruz has reclaimed his position atop the bantamweight mountain, Faber believes that the timing is right for them to settle their score.

"That's the fight for me next," Faber told MMAjunkie.com. "One hundred percent. We've been trying to do this fight forever."

Faber explained that even with Cruz injured, and Faber having to make his way through the ranks of the 135-pounders, the two were always in each other's orbit.

"Somehow, the UFC messed up and put us in this promotional thing where we had to do teamwork on a military exhibit," Faber said. "We were about to fight each other, and they put us on this PR thing, and for two days we actually got along pretty well and exchanged phone numbers in there.

"Throughout the years, we've talked (expletive). 'Finally, let's go, mother(expletive). You going to heal up?' Once every year we talked some (expletive)."

A third fight between the two would make sense considering that Faber beat Cruz in a WEC featherweight title defense in 2007, and Cruz returned the favor with a unanimous decision win to earn the UFC bantamweight title in 2011. A rubber match between the two was cancelled when Cruz suffered a knee injury the following year.

Working against Faber is Cruz's apparent disinterest in a third fight, and several worthy challengers waiting in the wings. A rematch with T.J. Dillashaw could be in the cards for Cruz, as well as fresh matchups with No. 4-ranked Raphael Assuncao, or No. 5-ranked Aljamain Sterling, who's currently a free agent.