Fertitta: UFC 148 Gets Cruz-Faber 3; Ortiz-Griffin, Velasquez-Mir TBD

Urijah Faber gets another shot at bantamweight king Dominick Cruz on July 7. | Photo: Dave Mandel

The promotion announced earlier this week during “UFC Tonight” on Fuel TV that the reserved July 7 date at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will officially serve as UFC 148.

Additionally, the UFC exec confirmed another rubber match is in the works, as onetime light heavyweight champions Forrest Griffin and Tito Ortiz will collide at a to-be-named event. Fertitta also revealed that Cain Velasquez’s next opponent will be fellow former heavyweight king Frank Mir. Date and location information was not announced for either bout.

Before Faber and Cruz collide at UFC 148, however, they will oppose each other as coaches on the 15th installment of “The Ultimate Fighter,” beginning March 9 on FX. The men have met twice before, their first meeting taking place in 2007 for Faber’s World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title.

After Faber’s quick submission win in that contest, Cruz dropped to 135 pounds, posting seven consecutive victories before Faber would turn the tables and come after Cruz’s UFC bantamweight belt. “The Dominator” avenged his previous loss to Faber in their 2011 rematch, outpointing “The California Kid” en route to a unanimous decision at UFC 132.