Dominick Cruz believes he knows the source behind his upcoming opponent, Marlon “Chito” Vera’s, volatility toward him.

Having wanted to square off with the former two-time UFC bantamweight champion for quite some time now, Vera hasn’t been shy to voice his feelings. Claiming Cruz has avoided a fight with him, Vera finally gets his wish as the two will meet in the main event of UFC San Diego on Aug. 13, where Vera fully expects to walk through “The Dominator.”

From Cruz’s perspective, however, he doesn’t think Vera is being genuine with his words.

“When I look at Vera, all the things he says, I don’t think he really means it,” Cruz told The Schmo. “He does, but he just wants to be heard. He’s a guy that just wants people to hear him because look at what he did to Sean O’Malley and nobody said a thing about him. Nobody cares that he won that fight. He’s just tired of being ignored because people don’t really care that much about him. When he wins, nobody says anything. So, I think that he’s just trying to be heard so he’s saying anything he can, really angry, he’s got a lot of demons, I guess, that he’s dealing with. I don’t know.

“But when it comes down to it, when you see him win after that fight, I’ve seen him in the back, we’ve worked together, he’s cool. I have no beef with this guy so I’m very neutral about it. He’s obviously very angry about something. I think he just wants to be heard and for people to care about him.”

Cruz and Vera have both gained some quality momentum with two wins in 2021 — Vera’s streak consisting of a third that came against Rob Font earlier this year.

In an ever-talented 135-pound weight class, the combination of legends, former champions, and hot rising stars is arguably better than any other division in the sport. For Vera, he’s already fought two former UFC titlists prior to Cruz and had mixed results.

First, Vera suffered a unanimous decision defeat when meeting former featherweight kingpin, Jose Aldo, in Dec. 2020. A rebound victory over Davey Grant followed before a devastating third-round front kick knockout of Frankie Edgar in Madison Square Garden. Ahead of their matchup, Cruz specifically highlighted the latter as a reason he’ll come out on top.

“Just watch him vs. Frankie Edgar, he (Edgar) was beating him until he got tired beating him.,” Cruz said. “You were losing that fight until Frankie Edgar got tired, I won’t get tired. It’s that simple.”

Coincidentally enough, Edgar recently shared that he’s looking for one last hurrah and intends for it to be in that very same arena, and preferably against his fellow former champion, Cruz. Despite the upward trajectory he’s been on since his last loss in May 2020, the San Diego, California native wouldn’t be opposed to it.

“I wouldn’t say no to Frankie Edgar, he’s a legend in the sport,” Cruz said. “That guy, he’s done a lot. Thinking about it, he’s done so much, you got these new up-and-comers that you don’t know super well, so over time, he just wants to fight somebody that’s known, that can get people to watch. I’ve been around for a long time, he’s been around for a long time, so I know where it comes from. Me and Frankie have always been cool so I’ve got no beef with him.”

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War. Matt Schnell only remembers ‘bits and pieces’ of dramatic comeback win over Sumudaerji at UFC Long Island

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VIDEO STEW

A historic Between the Links.

Blaydes vs Aspinall – Absolute Madness | UFC London

Top Finishes | UFC London

Paddy Pimblett & Molly McCann Take on No MMA Questions | UFC London

Weigh Ins | Bellator 283: Lima vs. Jackson

THE BEST JASON JACKSON HIGHLIGHTS | BELLATOR MMA

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LISTEN UP

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses what happens if Nate Diaz beats Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279?

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Beach season.

Nice.

You too!

Hmm…

Where?!

Impossible.

Yes.

We see you, Francis…

Unamused.

Preview time.

Advice.

Bows.

I guess we’ll never know………

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Michael Morales (13-0) vs. Adam Fugitt (8-2); UFC 277, July 30

Johnny Walker (18-7) vs. Ion Cutelaba (16-7-1); UFC 279, Sept. 10

Jessica Delboni (12-3) vs. Jillian DeCoursey (5-3); Invicta FC 49, Sept. 28

Zubaira Tukhugov (20-5-1) vs. Lucas Almeida (11-1); UFC 280, Oct. 22

Marina Rodriguez (16-1-2) vs. Amanda Lemos (12-2-1); UFC 280, Oct. 22

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FINAL THOUGHTS

The only way Dom vs. Frankie makes sense at this stage is if he loses to “Chito.” Ultimately though, I’m just pissed we have still yet to see Dom vs. Aldo. Come on, Dana.

Happy Friday, enjoy the weekend, and thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.