The value of perspective and the proper frame of mind will be fully on display Saturday when UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz puts his gold on the line against Urijah Faber, in the co-main event of UFC 199.

The fight, which will be the third between the two fighters and comes with all the bad blood one would expect from such a high level trilogy, will be Cruz’s third fight in five years as he’s had to battle numerous injuries that eventually led to UFC stripping him of the title in the first place.

The UFC 199 prelims can be seen on TSN4 and TSN5, Saturday at 8pm et/5pm pt.

In the interim he saw both Renan Barao and T.J. Dillashaw, who he would eventually defeat to reclaim the belt, hold the title that he never lost in the Octagon.  For Cruz, allowing life to go on while he healed was a huge part of getting himself back in the game.

“The key to the entire situation was not caring, was to completely let go,” Cruz told TSN.ca. “It was to say it’s their belt they can have it and I don’t need it.  I can live life without it.  When I did that I actually allowed myself so much relaxation of my mind and so much relaxation for my body to heal, that I actually got back to where I need to in order to be myself again.”

The 30-year-old champion will now make the first defence of his second reign as bantamweight champion against a familiar foe in Faber, a man that he has fought twice and verbally sparred with many times over.

They have split their two previous meetings with Faber winning their first encounter via submission in 2007 and Cruz returning the favour with a unanimous decision victory in 2011. 

For Cruz, the key to this bout is imposing his will and improving on the performance that earned him a split decision victory and the title against Dillashaw.

“I beat him up by being a better version of myself than I was in my last fight,” said Cruz. “He’s stated in a lot of interviews is that I’m no different than I used to be, he doesn’t see a lot of differences.  That’s perfect because I won that last fight too so even I didn’t change I was better than him then and I’m definitely better than him now.”

While Cruz will be looking to finish his 37-year-old opponent, he isn’t going to be tricked into believing he needs a KO or submission to make this win legitimate. 

“He always makes excuses, anytime a fight goes to a decision with Faber his excuse is, well he didn’t finish me, well you didn’t finish the other guy either and he always forgets to look at that fact,” said Cruz. “He can look at it however, but the finish for me is getting my hand raised at the end of the fight.  That’s all I have to do and I will do that.”