Urijah Faber faces Frankie Edgar May 16 in Manilla, but he’s already setting himself up for another moneyweight fight against No. 1 UFC featherweight contender Conor McGregor.
Faber admits he’d be oversized against McGregor, but says he already has him beat where it counts.
“The good thing is, he does give up, and I don’t,” Faber told FOX Sports.
McGregor has only been beaten twice in 19 professional bouts, but Faber reads a lot into those losses. Both came via submission and Faber believes McGregor showed his true colors when he tapped to a kneebar in 2008.
“I wouldn’t mind fighting Conor,” said Faber. “I’ll tell you what — he’s got something that a lot of guys don’t have. Something a guy like me doesn’t have, a guy like Chad Mendes doesn’t have, a guy like Frankie Edgar doesn’t have, and that’s the instincts and willingness to give up when he’s about to get knee barred. I wouldn’t give up. Come on … His knee was in danger of having some pain inflicted on it and he was like, ‘I’m out.'”
McGregor faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo July 11 at UFC 189 in las Vegas, Nevada.
Faber took an onslaught of abuse from Aldo in 2010 when he challenged for the Brazilian’s title at WEC 48 in Sacramento, California. Faber could hardly stand after enduring five rounds of Aldo’s leg kicks.
Calling McGregor “a very talented guy,” Faber says the Irishman “gives up” if “his body is in danger.”
“Can you teach that? Can you take that away? I don’t think so. That’s an instinct. He will give up.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
The bloodbath at Krakow. Chuck Mindenhall explains how Mirko Cro Cop’s redeeming win in Poland could keep him fighting, even it probably shouldn’t.
‘We are being violated.’ Wanderlei Silva calls out-of-competition drug testing ‘against the constitution.’ ‘They are not athletes and they don’t know what we have to go through to be there and put on a show.’
Sigh. With Yoel Romero withdrawing due to injury, Chris Camozzi will step in to fight Ronaldo Souza at UFC on FOX 15.
‘It’s about me and not anyone else.’ CM Punk says he doesn’t care if you hate that he’s fighting in the UFC because his attitude is ‘punk rock across the board.’ ‘Shut the f**k up and don’t watch the fight.’
‘We’re not a charity right now.’ Metamoris president Ralek Gracie explains why the promotion can’t afford to book matches between women, but says he’d make an exception for Ronda Rousey. ‘We’re interested in having Ronda Rousey and we’re willing to invest and potentially take a loss on that opportunity and risk that opportunity because of how big she is.’
MEDIA STEW
UFC Road to the Octagon: Lyoto Machida vs. Luke Rockhold.
Mirko Cro Cop’s Octagon interview.
Eddie Bravo talking Conor McGregor’s ground game.
Joe Lauzon has a fun story about someone sending him an envelope of white powder. (via r/MMA)
Marcin Held taps Alexander Sarnavskiy at Bellator 136.
Men(?) from BuzzFeed trane UFC. (via Bloody Elbow)
Long watches.
Fight Night Krakow: Post-fight Press Conference
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Fight Night Krakow: Q&A with Joanna Jedrzejczyk
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Don Frye: Kimbo, Predator’s Predictions, Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor, Cain Velasquez
TWEETS
See how the pros reacted to Cro Cop’s win over Gonzaga.
Victory lap.
Victory is always possible for the persone who refuses to stop fighting
Posted by Mirko Filipovic on Saturday, April 11, 2015
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@jama43okoh thanks coach. No partying. Just back to work. We’re staying busy this year
— jimi manuwa (@POSTERBOYJM) April 12, 2015
Thank you all. I am available for July and never been in Scotland. #UFCKrakow
— Pawe? Pawlak (@PawlakMMA) April 12, 2015
Prayers and belief and a good team @UTCUK pic.twitter.com/AicbOhr8yc
— Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (@RockyUtc) April 11, 2015
Walk in like a boss. #andstill pic.twitter.com/0WEWgMbyo9
— Will Brooks (@illwillbrooks86) April 12, 2015
Better luck next time.
Life…my life is Mma,I give it everything and always that bit more but yet it’s still not good enough to take away the hurdles.Sorry guys.
— Joanne Calderwood (@DRkneevil) April 12, 2015
My coaches and training partners did a great job getting me prepared for this fight. Tip my hat to Leon & thank you Poland. #UFCKrakow
— Seth Baczynski (@Sethbmma) April 11, 2015
Dana back?
@Medium_Nog @ufc hey dummy, u know how many people wanna fight Jacare on 6 days notice? 1!!!! @ChrisCamozzi. #muchrespectchris
— Dana White (@danawhite) April 11, 2015
Yikes.
I’m big on respect in this sport, so I give it and expect it back. Some ppl can’t handle a ass whooping like a man. You loss to Jon you talked trash after, you loss to me and you talk trash now After showing respect at first.
So this is dedicated to you from me and that 6 out of 7 days…
Like I said I need only one to end your life and career @alexthemauler
I never showed you any disrespect ever and now you say this.
That’s some low class stuff right there if any class at all
Happy #TBT Alex
I’m fighting jbj and my focus is on him… he’s the best ever and its a honor to fight him.
So don’t think one sec that Alex is distracting me!
@alexthemauler remember this one too…
You loss to both of us and still no respect.
It’s all good though, I’ll still show you respect even if you don’t show it back.
This one is for the road courtesy of jbj @jonnybones
Not done.
I’m not done yet,I still have a lot of fight left in me https://t.co/6DdC8svb8y
— Quinton Jackson (@Rampage4real) April 13, 2015
Beef.
@kjnoons @JennyF209 are you for real man. I was beating your ass till you gouged out my eyes.
— Daron Cruickshank (@Cruickshank155) April 12, 2015
@kjnoons @JennyF209 hey how did this feel pic.twitter.com/wS5dAm3XPv
— Daron Cruickshank (@Cruickshank155) April 12, 2015
Only posting a few of these. It’s awful.
@philbaroni I am a white boy who lives n cali and has competed in Thai boxing good job Phil and U are still a worthless piece of shit COWARD
— Joe Schilling (@JoeSchilling187) April 12, 2015
@philbaroni when I run into u in Vegas & u try to act like this is just a joke ur gonna wake up wishing u hadn’t COWARD
— Joe Schilling (@JoeSchilling187) April 12, 2015
Flawless.
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced this weekend (April 10-12 2015)
Yoel Romero out, Chris Camozzi vs. Ronaldo Souza at UFC on FOX 15
Seo Hee Ham out, Lisa Ellis vs. Bec Rawlings at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Miocic
Scott Askham vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr. at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Teixeira
Steve Bosse vs. Fabio Maldonado at UFC 186
Henry Briones vs. unbeaten Cody Garbrandt at UFC 189
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via TheFightNerd
WSOF 20: Reflections of a First-Timer
I have caught a few individual fights from the World Series of Fighting before, but Friday night’s WSOF 20 was the first time I watched a card from beginning to end, and what an interesting experience it was. I’m not going to break down every fight because the professional MMA journalists will have that covered in a much better fashion, but there are a few quick things I thought I’d cover from the eyes of a first-timer.
I’ll admit, good ol’ Ben Fodor, aka “Phoenix Jones” was one of the main reasons I tuned in on Friday night. I’ve heard about the guy for a couple of years, and wanted to see him fight outside of grainy internet footage. And not that I was expecting a world-beater, but even with what I thought were realistically tempered expectations, Phoenix Jones was pretty disappointing. The first kick he threw was so slow, my first thought was that he might be dying of dehydration or exhausted from his walk to the cage.
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Check out the rest of the post here.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.