Urijah Faber was once the face of the 145-pound division and helped the division grow out of the WEC dark ages.
He’s since found success in the cage at bantamweight, but a return to the featherweight division may be in the cards for Faber’s future. Bloody Elbow has the quotes from Faber’s post-fight press conference at UFC 169.
“I am sick of the weight cut, but I was also sick of fighting bigger guys at 145,” Faber said. “I would like to do some fights that are interesting. I feel like I am getting better, my body feels great. I don’t know, I don’t want to go up to 145 permanently, but if there’s something people want to see I might do that.”
It wouldn’t be a bad move for Faber, who has lost UFC bantamweight title shots against both Renan Barao (twice) and Dominick Cruz. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Faber will earn another UFC title shot in the near future even if Barao drops the belt.
Faber sports a 30-7 record and has been competing since 2003. He was also knocked out for the first time since 2008 when Mike Brown caught him at WEC 36.
That’s a long track record, and as everyone knows cutting weight doesn’t get any easier as fighters age. Faber has never been one to be out of shape, but nobody likes having to cut weight.
If he can avoid cutting down on the calories and make some money in the process, why wouldn’t he go with it?
There are plenty of fresh matchups for Faber since he’s been out of the division for so long, and it provides another avenue for the UFC to feature him on upcoming cards. The company is desperately needing some star power to draw people in, and it’s clear Faber is one of the most popular fighters on the roster.
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