Following his loss to Renan Barao at UFC 149, Urijah Faber looked to be a long way away from getting another shot at UFC gold. However, 19 months later, “The California Kid” is already going to get another crack at the Brazilian, who is now the undisputed bantamweight champion.
Faber returned to the front of the line for a title shot by winning four straight fights, which all occurred during 2013. In those bouts, the Team Alpha Male leader submitted Ivan Menjivar, Scott Jorgensen and Michael McDonald to establish himself as the best available contender to replace an injured Dominick Cruz at UFC 169.
After beating Faber to become interim champion, Barao defended his belt against McDonald and Eddie Wineland. The Nova Uniao product was then booked to meet fellow champion Cruz, but “The Dominator” suffered another injury and was pulled from Saturday’s fight card in Newark, N.J.
With this hugely important rematch and UFC 169 headliner approaching, here is a look at how Barao and Faber should match up against one another this time around.