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Dominick Cruz reacts to 45-year-old UFC rival Urijah Faber coming out of retirement

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Chris De Santiago | Last updated Mar 3, 2025 8:28 AM ET

Dominick Cruz has something to say about Urijah Faber fighting Renan Barao all these years later.

Urijah Faber Will Probably Be 46 For Next Fight

Cruz, the former UFC bantamweight champion and a longtime rival of Faber’s, decided he wouldn’t be fighting into his forties, retiring from MMA after a shoulder injury took him out of a fight against Rob Font last month.

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When one door shuts, another is bound to open, as Faber comes out of retirement at 45 years old, having signed with new MMA promotion Global Fight League where he'll meet Renan Barao in a trilogy bout later this year. Date TBA, "The California Kid" will likely be 46 in his GFL debut.

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A former champion in WEC, Faber fought and lost to former champ Barao in the UFC back in 2012 and 2014. Cruz also beat him twice for the bantamweight title but did suffer his first pro loss at the hands of Faber in 2007.

16 years ago today, Urijah Faber submitted Dominick Cruz in the first round

https://t.co/7FbLKZ6UZy
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) March 24, 2023

Dominick Cruz On Faber's Unexpected Return

On the heels of his retirement package at UFC Vegas 103 on Saturday, Cruz questions what made Faber want to keep fighting.

“He retired. But you see it with [Donald] Cerrone, too," Cruz told The Schmo. "You know that like you're talking about the itch [to fight], right? I guess the question is: is that the itch? Does it ever go away or do we find a way to fill it without having to fight? I don't know."

“But, Faber wants to get back in there. He must think he's ready. So, let him go do it.”

Like many other legends in the sport, this isn't Faber's first time coming out of retirement, having returned to the UFC in 2019 after previously retiring in 2016. Faber's last fight was a lopsided TKO loss to Petr Yan at UFC 245.

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When asked if he’d ever unretire, Dominick Cruz said likely not, the former champion’s circumstances different with a shoulder injury and plenty of wear-and-tear throughout his career.