Marlon Vera says Dominick Cruz and Jimmie Rivera declined to fight him, interested in Urijah Faber

UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera said that Dominick Cruz and Jimmie Rivera declined to fight him, and he is interested in Urijah Faber.

Vera took to his social media this week to say that Cruz declined to fight him, this coming a few weeks after Vera publicly called him out. With Vera ranked No. 13 at 135lbs and with Cruz at No. 9, “The Dominator” has said that he only wants to fight up in competition, so even though Vera would be a great fight, you can understand why Cruz wants a top-10 foe.

Cruz decline @ him 🥶

— C H🖕🏽T O🇪🇨V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) July 26, 2021

Cruz decline @ him

In addition to Cruz, Vera also said that No. 12 ranked Jimmie Rivera is always declining to fight him. With both Cruz and Rivera having apparently no interest in stepping into the cage with Vera, “Chito” has now turned his attention to the Hall of Famer Faber.

Cruz not wanting to fight.. Rivera is still figuring out a way to say no.. I heard doublechin wanna come back is that true @UrijahFaber ??????

— C H🖕🏽T O🇪🇨V E R A (@chitoveraUFC) July 27, 2021

Cruz not wanting to fight.. Rivera is still figuring out a way to say no.. I heard doublechin wanna come back is that true @UrijahFaber ??????

Vera is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Davey Grant in a “Fight of the Night” performance by both men. Prior to that fight, Vera lost a unanimous decision to former champion Jose Aldo. But before losing to Aldo, Vera defeated top prospect Sean O’Malley and lost a controversial decision to Song Yadong. Overall, while he hasn’t gotten that signature top-10 victory inside the Octagon, Vera has still proven himself to be a consensus top-15 bantamweight. Although it doesn’t appear as though Cruz or Rivera will be next for him, the Faber matchup certainly would be interesting if it happened. Faber hasn’t fought since a KO loss to Petr Yan in 2019, but he has said he would be open to fighting again.

Who do you want to see Marlon Vera fight next?