“The title shot thing, I’m a title fighter. That’s it… I’ve been a top contender, I’ve beaten top contenders, I’ve been a champion, I’ve beaten champions. That’s it. It doesn’t make sense for me to do anything else, otherwise I’ll stop fighting… People want to see me fight T.J. [Dillashaw]. People want to see me fight Conor [McGregor]. People want to see me fight Frankie Edgar. People don’t want to see me fight guys that aren’t top level. I’ll do that because we’re in the fight game and you fight whoever they put in front of you, but my goal is to always fight the best. That’s the mentality. That’s what’s got me here.”
-UFC 199’s Urijah Faber addresses critics of his knack for getting title fights in an interview with FoxSports.com.
Penick’s Analysis: Faber’s not wrong. He’s been successful enough and entertaining enough in his non-title matchups that fans and the UFC have wanted to see him in these other matchups. While he arguably shouldn’t have gotten Saturday’s fight against Cruz ahead of Dillashaw, it’s understandable to give him this one last shot at capturing UFC gold given their history. Either he finally succeeds and takes that title, affording him the opportunity to continue on in another title fight, or he falls short once more in what could be his final opportunity. There’s a lot at stake here, but it’s not wrong for him to be in this spot.
[Photo (c) Gary A. Vasquez via USA Today Sports]
Attention iPhone/iPad and Android users, if you’ve enjoyed our app in the past and followed us there, or if you’ve never checked it out, make sure to update to the latest version in the Apple store and/or Google Play store. We’ve launched a new look for the app, in line with our recent desktop overhaul. Make sure to check it out!
For current App users, swipe right to view next article, swipe left to view previous article.
Leave a Reply