Urijah Faber is tired of people complaining about him receiving too many title shots.
The former WEC champ is 0-4 in title bouts since losing his featherweight strap to Mike Brown nearly five years ago.
Most would assume title shots don’t come along often, but it seems like Faber gets an opportunity to compete for a world title at least once a year.
In an interview with the New York Post, “The California Kid” had a simple explanation for the many title shots he has so generously received over the years:
“I’ve been at the top for a long time. To all the critics, all the people complaining about me getting another title shot – motherf——, I’m still here,” said Faber.
In his last two outings, Faber finished top bantamweights Scott Jorgensen and Ivan Menjivar in impressive fashion, which could open the doors to yet another shot.
There is plenty of world class talent in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions, but none bolster even close to the same size fanbase as Faber. With a lack of marquee names in the lighter divisions, it’s easy for the UFC to turn to Faber whenever they need a big fight.
A likeable and recognizable personality is just as important as wins and losses in MMA. As Faber puts it, some fighters just have that “it” factor.
“I’m in a weird spot in the sport being one of the biggest names in the lighter weight division, but not having a bunch of guys with big names to fight…It’s gonna take time for everyone else. It also takes a special personality. You have to have that ‘it’ factor, which I think some of the guys do.”
Renan Barao defeated Faber last July for the interim bantamweight title.
Even as a reigning UFC champion, you would be hard-pressed to find any casual fan that recognizes Barao. Faber is clearly the most popular fighter in the bantamweight division, and it only makes sense for the UFC to consider every chance of plastering his face on a main event poster.
It’s obvious the UFC can’t go handing out title shots every time he strings together a couple of wins. The unspoken mantra in MMA is that every budding rivalry acts as a best-of-three series.
With only one loss to both Barao and injured champ Dominick Cruz, Faber is still very much in the bantamweight title picture.
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