Ultimate Fighting Championship

Dominick Cruz says Urijah Faber fight was not his most gratifying win

Published Jun. 16, 2016 4:45 p.m. ET

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Dominick Cruz is coming off a unanimous decision victory over his most heated UFC rival, Urijah Faber, in a fight that finally settled a near 10-year feud between the two bantamweights.

But despite almost a decade of trash talk and back and forth with Faber, Cruz says that while the win felt great, it wasn't his most gratifying. No, that distinction is saved for a fight that was much more meaningful in the eyes of "The Dominator."

Cruz's assessment is surprising, but it makes sense. His win over Mizugaki in 2014 was his first fight in almost three years. Before that, he had just beaten the man many consider the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Demetrious Johnson, and was emerging as the superstar the UFC bantamweight division needed.

But then, Cruz was forced to undergo two separate ACL surgeries that sidelined him for nearly two years. He was scheduled for a comeback, title unification bout before tearing his groin and vacating his bantamweight belt.

After taking all of that into consideration, it's easy to see how a comeback of that magnitude trumps a win over a rival any day for Cruz.

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