Even if he fails to ever achieve UFC gold, Urijah Faber will go down as one of the all-time greats in MMA.
Faber takes on Jimmie Rivera this Saturday night at UFC 203 looking to bounce back after falling to UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in June.
For “The California Kid,” this represents yet another young challenger thrown in front of him as he tries to keep his spot on the ladder. Until a 2015 loss to Frankie Edgar, Faber (33-9) had never been defeated in non-title fights.
“I’ve had a lot of fights where the guy is virtually unknown, but very tough,” Faber said. “The ones that stand out are obviously the big fights — title fights and super-fights — but this is part of the game. Part of the reason people love to watch me is because I fight. I’m not here to protect a legacy or anything. I’m excited for this fight.”
He claimed WEC gold before that promotion was absorbed by the UFC and has since faced the likes of Cruz and Renan Barao for the bantamweight title. Each time, though, Faber came up empty.
In Rivera, he’ll get a 27-year-old who has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon and is 19-1 overall in his career. He hasn’t lost since his second pro fight in 2008.
“I like this kid’s attitude. I like what he represents,” Faber said of Rivera. “He’s a hard-working guy and a respectful guy. He’s put in his time and it sounds like guys are dodging him, because he’s tough and not many people know him. There are a bunch of wussies out there. This is not a sport to be a baby.”
Even if he fails to ever achieve UFC gold, Urijah Faber will go down as one of the all-time greats in MMA.
Faber takes on Jimmie Rivera this Saturday night at UFC 203 looking to bounce back after falling to UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in June.
For “The California Kid,” this represents yet another young challenger thrown in front of him as he tries to keep his spot on the ladder. Until a 2015 loss to Frankie Edgar, Faber (33-9) had never been defeated in non-title fights.
“I’ve had a lot of fights where the guy is virtually unknown, but very tough,” Faber said. “The ones that stand out are obviously the big fights — title fights and super-fights — but this is part of the game. Part of the reason people love to watch me is because I fight. I’m not here to protect a legacy or anything. I’m excited for this fight.”
He claimed WEC gold before that promotion was absorbed by the UFC and has since faced the likes of Cruz and Renan Barao for the bantamweight title. Each time, though, Faber came up empty.
In Rivera, he’ll get a 27-year-old who has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon and is 19-1 overall in his career. He hasn’t lost since his second pro fight in 2008.
“I like this kid’s attitude. I like what he represents,” Faber said of Rivera. “He’s a hard-working guy and a respectful guy. He’s put in his time and it sounds like guys are dodging him, because he’s tough and not many people know him. There are a bunch of wussies out there. This is not a sport to be a baby.”
An intriguing fight announcement was made by the UFC on Tuesday.
Added to the upcoming UFC 203 pay-per-view event in September is an interesting bantamweight bout featuring former multiple-time title contender Urijah Faber taking on up-and-coming pr…
An intriguing fight announcement was made by the UFC on Tuesday.
Added to the upcoming UFC 203 pay-per-view event in September is an interesting bantamweight bout featuring former multiple-time title contender Urijah Faber taking on up-and-coming prospect Jimmie Rivera.
The Faber-Rivera bout joins the UFC 203 lineup, which features a main event of Stipe Miocic vs. Alistair Overeem for the UFC Heavyweight Championship and the Octagon debut of CM Punk against Mickey Gall.
UFC 203 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 10, 2016 from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
After suffering a disappointing loss to reigning bantamweight champion and long-time rival Dominick Cruz at last June’s UFC 199, Urijah Faber’s fighting future was unclear, but it looks as if we haven’t seen the end of “The California Kid” and he is set to return to action at September 10’s UFC 203 against No. 14-ranked
After suffering a disappointing loss to reigning bantamweight champion and long-time rival Dominick Cruz at last June’s UFC 199, Urijah Faber’s fighting future was unclear, but it looks as if we haven’t seen the end of “The California Kid” and he is set to return to action at September 10’s UFC 203 against No. 14-ranked Jimmie Rivera.
UFC executive Dave Sholler announced the news via his official Twitter account:
Urijah Faber versus Jimmie Rivera at UFC 203 in Cleveland is a done deal. Great fight.
Prior to his loss against Cruz, Faber had won three of his last four bouts including victories over the likes of Alex Caceras, Francisco Rivera, and Frankie Saenz. “The California Kid”, who currently sits at No. 2 in the divisional rankings, will look to get back on track come September.
Rivera, on the other hand, has won all three of his Octagon bouts to date and has established himself as a rising prospect in the division. The 27-year-old New Jersey native is coming off of a “Fight of The Night” win over Iuri Alcantara last January, and will undoubtedly be facing his toughest test when he meets Faber.
UFC 203 is set to be headlined by a heavyweight title clash between defending champion and hometown hero Stipe Miocic and legendary kickboxer Alistair “The Reem” Overeem.
This Saturday night (January 30, 2016) the UFC returns with the anticipated UFC on FOX 18 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The free television event features a pivotal light heavyweight main event between No. 2-ranked former title challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and streaking contender Ryan Bader, whose been very vocal about a title
This Saturday night (January 30, 2016) the UFC returns with the anticipated UFC on FOX 18 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The free television event features a pivotal light heavyweight main event between No. 2-ranked former title challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and streaking contender Ryan Bader, whose been very vocal about a title shot due to five straight victories.
He’ll almost certainly get it if he can get past the monstrous challenge of “Rumble,” who most recently rebounded from his discouraging title loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 187 by knocking out Jimi Manuwa at September’s UFC 191, but that opportunity will be held up based on what happens in the awaited return of former champion Jon Jones.
Either way, his fight with Johnson is undoubtedly the biggest of his career, and one that will shape the near future of the relatively shallow UFC light heavyweight division. To prepare for the event, the UFC has released Road to the Octagon for UFC on FOX 18’s main bouts. Watch the full segment for “Rumble” vs. Bader right here, and look out for the second and third videos on the following pages:
Jump to the next page to watch Road to the Octagon: Barnett vs. Rothwell….
Filed under: King of the Cage, HDNetJimmie Rivera and Abel Cullum waged a highly entertaining five-round battle for the King of the Cage bantamweight belt on Friday night, with HDNet viewers treated to a good fight that ended with Rivera taking Cullum’…
Jimmie Rivera and Abel Cullum waged a highly entertaining five-round battle for the King of the Cage bantamweight belt on Friday night, with HDNet viewers treated to a good fight that ended with Rivera taking Cullum’s title by split decision.
It was one of the better shows King of the Cage has put on HDNet, which needed the Rivera-Cullum main event to entertain the fans and make up for the fact that former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer abruptly pulled out of his scheduled fight with Ron Sparks.
