Faber fans were completely devastated at UFC 149 last weekend. Fans were wildly anticipating an amazing rubber match between Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber. After Cruz was injured, fans were then hoping Faber would dominate Barao for the Interim Bantamweight Belt, so they could finally see who was the better of the two fighters who have had a bitter feud since WEC days. However, this may not happen for a while. Once again.
I personally was hoping Faber would beat Barao by unanimous decision. However, the outcome was the exact opposite. Now Faber must work his way through champion contendership fights, to get a change at the Bantamweight champion, be it Cruz, Barao, or a new fighter. After reviewing the fight, and reading comments, I discovered Urijah Faber had actually broken his rib in the first round. It is important to realize first of all Urijah was an excellent loser. He really was. This was his exact tweet:
“Congrats 2 @RenanBaraoUFC. He’s a tough dude. Broke my rib in the 1st with a great knee. Thank u 4 all the support.”
Clearly, if Faber had broken his rib in the first round, he would have to fight through 25 minutes with a broken rib. Seeing as he barely landed any punches, this could be why. He must have been in immense pain, but as a warrior tried to push through it throughout the fight. We don’t know if this broken rib is what caused Faber to lose the fight, but if so it is a consequence of fighting that must be accepted before entering the ring. Cruz and Faber fans can only hope that Cruz will keep his belt, and one day soon Cruz and Faber can finally determine the better fighter and settle their feud.
By: Elise Kapala