A third meeting between UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber has been set since the latter defeated Brian Bowles at UFC 139 in November. However, on Friday, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta finally named a date for the bout between the former WEC titleholders.
According to Fertitta, Cruz and Faber will square off on July 7, five days after the one-year anniversary of their second fight against one another. Following their inclusion as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, the elite bantamweights will return to the site of their second bout, the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and settle their feud in a rubber match at UFC 148.
Fertitta’s announcement came shortly after Cruz and Faber had already begun their bickering through their Twitter accounts.
After Cruz responded to a quote from “The California Kid” stating that he could beat the champion at coaching, Faber snapped back by bringing up his submission win over Cruz in their first meeting in March 2007.
Undisturbed by Faber’s jab, Cruz fired back with a shot of his own, mocking Faber for his inability to reclaim a title since losing his WEC belt to Mike Brown in November 2008.
Needless to say, there will be plenty more verbal altercations between Cruz and Faber on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will make its FX premier on March 9.
Cruz, who beat Faber in a close decision in their previous meeting, will be looking for a fifth consecutive defense of a Zuffa-promoted title at UFC 148.
The fight between Cruz and Faber would likely serve as the main event for UFC 148, for which no other bouts have yet been scheduled.
Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, Follow Sean Smith on Twitter
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com