Tag: Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber Talks Possible "Superfight" with Torres and Picks Diaz over GSP

With a title fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight belt steadily approaching, No. 1 contender, Urijah Faber, feels there’s still many exciting fights for him in his newly 135-pound division. One matchup in particular is …

With a title fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight belt steadily approaching, No. 1 contender, Urijah Faber, feels there’s still many exciting fights for him in his newly 135-pound division.

One matchup in particular is against Miguel Angel Torres.

As Faber once reigned as the World Extreme Cagefighting(WEC) 145-pound champion, Torres, simultaneously, held the 135-pound title in the same promotion. 

Thus, eager fans couldn’t help but suggest a potential fight between these two amazing warriors.

According to Fiveknuckles.com’s Jason Perkins, the “California Kid” looks forward to the potential “superfight” that fans have been discussing for years:

“I think it would be great. I think Miguel Torres is one of those people that guys love to watch fight. There’s peaks and valleys in careers, he’s had some peaks, he’s had some valleys, and it sounds like he’s back on track,” Faber said.

“He’s refocused and against his last two opponents he had a really good style against those guys, and the reach advantage and things like that, but he does look good. He’s on a two fight win streak and that’s great.”

The California Kid continued, “I would say that we definitely want to fight each other and I’ve got nothing against him, but it’s a fight that we’ve all known about for a long time. I’ve got kind of a different feel for him since I dropped down to 35′s. I don’t know how he feels about me being in his territory, but it’s my territory now.”

Since the merger of WEC and UFC, as well as UFC’s recent purchase of the Strikeforce (SF) MMA promotion, talks of ‘superfights’ amongst each entity’s champions are inevitable.

Following Georges St. Pierre’s recent successful UFC 170 pound title defense, fans can’t seem to help but pit the popular St. Pierre against SF’s current Welterweight Champion, Nick Diaz. As a fight fan himself, Urijah thinks Diaz may have the upper hand:

“I’m going to go with Nick Diaz on that one, just because I don’t see GSP knocking him out,” Faber stated.

“He’s never been knocked out and GSP’s been more into wrestling guys. I think that from watching Diaz, he’s super, super deceiving, and is able to pressure guys and make them get tired and fatigued like no one else. It’s constant pressure, and he’s got that persistent punching style that wears guys down.”

Whether the GSP versus Diaz fight looms in the near or distant future, this bout will be one of the most anticipated and exciting matchups in MMA history. As Faber vies for the title also, his quickness and ferocity make for an extremely exciting fight as well.

Urijah Faber will be fighting for the UFC bantamweight belt versus current champion, Dominick Cruz, on July 2nd in Las Vegas.


-ROLAND RISO
MMAIDIOT.COM

Roland Riso is a contributing writer for Bleacher Report.  All quotes were obtained from Fiveknuckles.com

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Urijah Faber Talks Nick Diaz’s Boxing and Diaz Appearing on a Dating Show

Former WEC champion Urijah Faber recently appeared on ESPN1100 to talk boxing. The conversation started off centered around Manny Pacquiao and his fight with Shane Mosley and then turned to more MMA related subjects.The boxing-based conversation didn’t…

Former WEC champion Urijah Faber recently appeared on ESPN1100 to talk boxing. The conversation started off centered around Manny Pacquiao and his fight with Shane Mosley and then turned to more MMA related subjects.

The boxing-based conversation didn’t take long to turn to Nick Diaz, the Strikeforce welterweight champion who has recently signed on to fight former IBF champion Jeff Lacy.

Faber had the following to say about Diaz making the jump to boxing: “Diaz is a good example, when you take a strong mindset, you look at a champion in any sport, it’s the mindset that makes them a champion. If they dedicate themselves to learning the skills then it’s a battle of willpower and heart.”

As to why Diaz would want to box, Faber thinks it is based around the desire for a bigger payday: “Nick is a competitor, I’ve been a big fan of Nick Diaz.  The bottom line is that guy is a guy that’s been in some serious battles and put in some serious time and has made a decent living, but definitely deserves more money, and I think that’s what he’s really talking about.”

Faber then said that he hoped that UFC president Dana White would “step up” in regard to keeping Diaz out of boxing and just involved with MMA.

Faber then talked about the UFC’s wanting to put Diaz on a dating show when he fought for the promotion in the past, “I remember Diaz telling me years ago how they punished him for not going on that dating show they were having a couple of fighters go on. They would go on this dating show, [the UFC] wanted him on there for publicity. Nick had a girlfriend at the time and he wouldn’t do it.”

Faber is scheduled to meet UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz in the main event at UFC 132, which will take place on July 2 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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The Two Sheds Review: Hurricanes and Weight Issues at WEC 36: Faber vs Brown

It was delayed by a hurricane for two months, and further tarnished when a defending champion failed to make weight. It’s also been shown numerous times on Britain’s Extreme Sports channel since its debut last February. The show in question…

It was delayed by a hurricane for two months, and further tarnished when a defending champion failed to make weight. It’s also been shown numerous times on Britain’s Extreme Sports channel since its debut last February. The show in question is WEC 36: Faber vs Brown—the first WEC show I’ve ever reviewed.

The broadcast began in the middleweight division as Jake Rosholt faced Nissen Osterneck.

This was another example of a great striker versus grappler battle. Osterneck came forward early with some combinations, and his strikes almost got him the win in the second round.

The only problem was that whenever he got the upper hand, Rosholt took him down and took the upper hand himself with some nice grappling, and it was this—allied with some effective ground and pound—that earned Rosholt the TKO win in the second round.

It was down to featherweight for the next fight as Jens Pulver went up against Leonard Garcia.

A part of Little Evil’s downward spiral, Pulver connected with a big left that staggered Garcia early on, but within a minute Garcia was unloading with the heavy leather. Pulver slumped to the ground against the cage, and the referee quickly stepped in to give Garcia the TKO win.

Then it was back up to middleweight as David Avellan took on Aaron Simpson—the blink and you’ll miss it affair of the show.

Just seconds into the fight, Simpson connected with an overhand right. Avellan quickly went down, with the referee stopping the fight after just 18 seconds, giving Simpson the knockout win.

The next fight was also meant to be in the middleweight division, with Paulo Filho defending his title against Chael Sonnen. But when Filho did the unforgivable and failed to make the weight, it was turned into a three round catch weight affair.

The story of this fight was simple. Filho wanted to go to the ground, but Sonnen was having none of it, controlling the fight with his boxing, making Filho get back to his feet after the champion invited him down.

It didn’t make for an exciting fight—and most of the time Filho seemed to treat it like a sparring session—so it wasn’t really surprising when the crowd broke out the bull***t chant.

No surprise with the judges decision as all three gave every round to Sonnen.

The main event saw Mike Brown challenging Urijah Faber for the Featherweight title.

An exciting fight saw Faber begin with a right/left combination, but just when it looked like the champion was about to up his game, Brown connected with a right that sent Faber down.

Brown followed him down to the ground, and with Faber offering nothing in response to the onslaught the referee stopped the fight, giving Brown what was considered an upset win.

It took a while for the UFC’s little brother to make it to British television, and it was a little disappointing that it happened after the company ceased to be, but it’s nice to finally see what the WEC is all about.

My first impressions were pretty good. WEC 36 was an enjoyable show, and although the Filho/Sonnen fight was disappointing, the other four made up for it.

So does this show get the thumbs up? Most definitely, and I’m looking forward to seeing another WEC show in the near future.

If you live in Britain don’t worry if you haven’t seen this show yet. At the moment, Extreme Sports seem to be showing this one every two weeks, so you haven’t missed a thing.

Although I do hope they start showing new WEC shows soon!

Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

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UFC 132: Urijah Faber Thinks Dominick Cruz Is "Immature"

The recent bad blood between rivals Urijah Faber and UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz has certainly been well-documented.Both competitors will headline UFC 132, when they meet in a rematch from WEC 26, to determine the newly crowned bantamweigh…

The recent bad blood between rivals Urijah Faber and UFC bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz has certainly been well-documented.

Both competitors will headline UFC 132, when they meet in a rematch from WEC 26, to determine the newly crowned bantamweight champion. 

While appearing as a guest on MMA Fight Corner Radio, Faber did not hold anything back when discussing his opponent. In fact, the former WEC featherweight champion used as little dialogue as possible

“Immature,” Faber said when asked on describing his opponent. 

The last time both men competed, Faber picked up the victory, submitting Cruz via guillotine choke.

Since failing to recapture his featherweight title against Mike Thomas Brown and current title holder Jose Aldo, Faber recently moved down to bantamweight and made his debut at UFC 128.

Faber defeated Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision and following the bout he proceeded to call out his rival, Cruz.

The win ultimately earned Faber a title shot against Cruz, scheduled for this summer. 

Faber continued to speak of his disdain for Cruz, and while he isn’t one to trash-talk or belittle his opponents, “The California Kid” said he respects the bantamweight champion, but he wouldn’t consider him a friend.

“I was forced to spend some time with him this last week with the Marines in Camp Pendleton in San Diego and it was fun,” Faber said.

“He can actually take a joke, and we were at each other’s throat a little bit at the beginning there. He’s a decent guy, but he has a lot of growing up to do, and me beating him up is going to be part of that process.”

UFC 132 is scheduled for July 2nd, live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

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UFC 132 Cruz vs. Faber Main Card Official: Tickets Go on Sale Saturday

UFC 132 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 2. The fight card will be headlined by a UFC bantamweight bout between the champion Dominick Cruz and challenger, former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber.The two fighters have met be…

UFC 132 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 2. The fight card will be headlined by a UFC bantamweight bout between the champion Dominick Cruz and challenger, former WEC featherweight champion, Urijah Faber.

The two fighters have met before, with Faber (25-4) defeating Cruz by first round submission. That loss, in 2007, remains the only blemish on Cruz’s record (17-1).

Since that time, the two have developed a mutual dislike for each other.

“Me and Urijah don’t really get along very much, needless to say,” Cruz told Heavy.com’s Fight Day. “It goes all the way back to the first time we fought about four years ago I’d say. I fought him at 145 pounds for the world title. I did some stuff that made him angry. He did some stuff after the fight that made me angry.”

“It just stuck in my head and just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. I never really just had a good feeling towards him since then. It just makes it that much easier to get in there and punch him in the face.”

Faber had the following to say about the animosity between the two.

“I don’t really like Cruz very much. You keep hearing about it, because everybody keeps asking about it,” Faber said in a recent UFC media call. “The bottom line is I think the guy kind of chose me as an enemy, and I accept. We fought once, and we’re going to do it again.”

The main card will also see the return of Wanderlei Silva to the Octagon. Silva, who has been rehabbing from knee surgery, has not fought since defeating Michael Bisping by unanimous decision in February of last year.

Silva will face Chris Leben on the Las Vegas card. Leben is coming off a TKO loss to Brian Stann at UFC 125.

Tito Ortiz will be facing Ryan Bader and his possible release from the UFC when he steps into the cage on July 2. UFC president Dana White has made it clear that Ortiz has run out of chances with the UFC and if he does not deliver a win in this bout he will be released from his contract. Ortiz has not won a fight since defeating Ken Shamrock in 2006.

Standing in Ortiz’s way, Bader will look to get back in the win column after suffering the first loss of his 13 fight MMA career to Jon Jones at UFC 125.

Rounding out the main card which will be shown on pay-per-view at 9:00 pm ET:

Dennis Siver vs. Matt Wiman

Carlos Condit vs. Dong Hyun Kim

Preliminary fights that have been made official:

Melvin Guillard vs. Shane Roller

Brian Bowles vs. Takeya Mizugaki

Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Aaron Simpson

Tickets for UFC 132 will go on sale on Saturday, May 7 at 10 a.m. PT and will be priced from $75-$800.

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Dominick Cruz: Urijah Faber Isn’t Going to Be Able to Adjust to My Style

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MMA Fighting recently spoke to UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz about his upcoming title defense against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on July 2. Cruz talked about if he was disappointed that he won’t be a coach on TUF, his recent hand surgery, how he expects the rematch against Faber to play out and whether he believes Faber is overlooking him.

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MMA Fighting recently spoke to UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz about his upcoming title defense against Urijah Faber at UFC 132 on July 2. Cruz talked about if he was disappointed that he won’t be a coach on TUF, his recent hand surgery, how he expects the rematch against Faber to play out and whether he believes Faber is overlooking him.