Urijah Faber is thinking about making a return.
After a unanimous decision win over Brad Pickett in late 2016, UFC Hall of Famer Urijah “The California Kid” Faber retired from MMA. Yet, many suspect the healthy 38-year-old Bantamweight will eventually find himself back in the Octagon. Attending UFC 221 in Perth this past weekend, Urijah hinted at a return in several interviews.
He told Submission Radio that he still has not exited the USADA drug testing pool, which means he is technically eligible to fight at a moment’s notice.
“Look, I spent a lot of time getting really great at fighting and I’m able-bodied and healthy,” said Faber. “I train just as much or more than some of the guys that are active but it’s not my goal [to come back], necessarily. It’s just the habits that I’ve created in my life. I would say I’m always open to entertain any business opportunity or offer.”
Faber’s former teammate TJ Dillashaw now holds the Bantamweight belt after narrowly dispatching Faber’s protégé Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217. Faber said he would be looking to return for “big opportunities,” including a fight with TJ, but says he is really excited for Garbrandt to reclaim the belt.
“I’m more interested in the 135-pound division as a whole. I’d like to see [TJ] defending and of course I’d like to see Cody get that rematch or some of the other guys that are up-and-coming in the division.”
Faber also commented on TJ’s intention to drop down to the 125 pound Flyweight division to challenge champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson for the belt. Before the induction of a 125 pound division, Johnson competed at Bantamweight, performing well, but being naturally undersized. He lost a lopsided decision to longtime champion Dominick Cruz, who narrowly beat TJ and widely lost to Garbrandt, whom TJ just beat. So naturally there are questions as to how a TJ DJ matchup will play out at 125.
“I would probably lean towards T.J., just because I remember what happened with Dominick Cruz when he fought T.J. and there was a little bit of wrestling involved. T.J.’s actually a Division I wrestler, a very good wrestler. It would be a close fight, absolutely. It could go either way, but my insight tells me he would get the win.”
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