Urijah Faber, challenging Dominick Cruz for his UFC 135-pound belt, is also challenging the champ's mental game. The battle before the real battle is being waged through media.
"He acts one way on camera and acts like Mr. Nice Guy, and plays me off like the bad guy. He can't expect to disrespect the things that I've done and want me to respect him back," Cruz told ESPNRadio1100's Pauly Howard (2:15 mark). "It comes down to, don't play the game of Mr. Nice Guy if your going to run your mouth."
In his exclusive Yahoo! Sports' UFC 132 blog, Faber has slammed Cruz, calling him a mental train wreck.
"[...] but the guy is an emotional mess. He goes from throwing himself pity-parties to praising himself for all that he brings to MMA," wrote Faber.
"He likes recounting his deprived upbringing (which doesn't sound that bad, in my opinion) and pondering how he could reach the heights he has with all that's wrong in his life."
"He's talking about my upbringing. Not all of us had a lot of money growing up. Not all of us had the perfect life growing up and had our mom and dad to buy us a gym in the most beautiful part of California," Cruz said (3:23 mark). "I'm sorry my life wasn't as picture perfect as Urijah Faber. I had to work for everything I've got. I'm fighting for family as I speak."
Cruz says he grew up in a rougher part of Tucson, Az. Frankly, can someone else really judge someone's account of their childhood?
Cruz is right about the promotion. This is definitely "The Golden Child" vs. "The Brooding Outsider." It may mean better business if Urijah Faber can take the strap, but if Cruz actually has his mental game together, the UFC may not get its wish. So far the bettors and Las Vegas sportsbooks are of the belief that Cruz will retain his title. He's a minus-140 favorite.
You can watch UFC 132 right here on Yahoo! Sports
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