Urijah Faber: The only reason Dominick Cruz is alive is we have rules in MMA

Former WEC champ Urijah Faber is firing back at Dominick Cruz after the UFC bantamweight champ offered to “gift” him a title shot.

On Instagram, Faber reminded Cruz of his credentials and called for an expected title rematch, declaring, “I wanna be the one to break the glass champ!!”

Cruz reclaimed the UFC belt this past month with a decision over Faber’s former teammate, T.J. Dillashaw, and was soon courting a potential third bout with “The California Kid,” with whom he’s split a pair of bouts.

In an interview Wednesday with MMAjunkie, Cruz (21-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) dismissed Faber (33-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) as a threat but welcomed the idea of a fight.

“It’s been 10 years of building with this guy, and I just kind of want to shut him down and keep him out of the division after this,” he said. He really isn’t the most relevant guy in the world, but he still does a pretty good fight.

“I think this is just another gift for Faber. He’s been gifted his whole career with title shots, but oh well. Screw it. I’m all he’s got left, so I might as well give him one more.”

Faber responded with the fiery Instagram post: “Last time we fought I put MR. Hard to Hit on his ass multiple times,” he wrote. “And the reason he is alive is because there are rules in MMA and I was forced to let him live.”

It’s the latest salvo in a rivalry that blossomed in the now-defunct WEC, where Faber submitted Cruz in a fight for the featherweight title. They later met in the UFC’s octagon with Cruz winning via decision. A rubber match was slated for UFC 148 after the two served as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter 15,” but the bout was canceled when Cruz suffered the first of multiple injuries that ultimately led to a two-year layoff and the relinquishing of his UFC title.

Faber recently admitted that he and Cruz have been exchanging trash talk over the years as their careers have played out. But now, with both of them healthy, they’ve started sparring in public.

Here’s Faber’s full post:

“Have 5 more finishes than he has total fights, I’ve been a champion or a top contender for the last 13 years. Last time we fought i put MR. Hard to Hit on his ass multiple times. And the reason he is alive is because there are rules in mma and i was forced to let him live. I have jumped up weight classes and fought future hall of famers at multiple divisions. I take on all comers and don’t back out if my body isn’t feeling perfect. I can’t wait to whoop this dope! @danawhiteufc @lorenzofertitta please gimme a date. Lets get a staff of Drs on hand at Cruz’s training and ask his teammates to take it easy. I wanna be the one to break the glass champ!! #glasschamp”

The UFC has yet to confirm Cruz’s next step, but it appears the two are already hyping the rubber match that never happened.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.