Filed under: UFC
NEWARK, N.J. — Between fights, the rumors came fast and furious for Urijah Faber. Was he going to face Dominick Cruz in a grudge rematch? Was he going to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter? Maybe the UFC would match him up with a contemporary who once ruled WEC’s bantamweight title, Miguel Torres?
But when the time came, the decision was a wild card: Eddie Wineland.
The response from many fans was one word: Who?
Wineland is arguably one of the most anonymous of the former WEC champions who came over to the UFC, but it’s not for lack of effort or success. The Indiana-based fighter has had memorable knockouts in each of his last two fights, and has captured six of his last seven. By comparison, Faber is 3-3 in his last six fights. Despite that, Wineland is a massive underdog as both bantamweights make their UFC debuts.