Urijah Faber Eyes Fight On December 11, 12 Weekend
Former WEC champion, and multi-time UFC title challenger Urijah “The California Kid” Faber has been out of action since last May when he dropped a one-sided unanimous decision loss to former lightweight champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar at UFC Fight Night 66.
According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, who appeared on tonight’s (August 26, 2015) edition of UFC Tonight, Faber is ready to return to the Octagon, and he has a date in mind. “The California Kid” has expressed interest in fighting on one of the biggest weekends in the UFC’s history, and that would be the weekend of December 11, and December 12.
The Ultimate Fighter 22, which Faber is coaching on, Finale is set for December 11, 2015, and is being headlined by a featherweight bout between Edgar and Faber’s teammate Chad “Money” Mendes. Then, the highly-anticipated UFC 194 card is set for December 12, 2014, and that features the blockbuster featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor.
As far as an opponent, it would depend on which weight class the Sacramento native plans on competing in next. He’s competed in the bantamweight division for the last few years before moving up to 145-pounds to meet Edgar, and hasn’t announced where he will stay.
If Faber goes back down to 135-pounds, there may be a few options for him. UFC Tonight co-hosts Kenny Florian, and Daniel Cormier threw out the names Bryan Caraway, and Aljamain Sterling as potential opponents.
Caraway is currently ranked No. 6 and has won three out of his last four, most recently taking out Eddie Wineland at July’s UFC on FOX 16. Sterling on the other hand currently sits at No. 7 and is 3-0 in the UFC, most recently submitting Takeya Mizugaki last April. Both men are in need of a big name fight, and Faber could fit the bell.
And if “The California Kid” stays at featherweight, well there are some options there as well. Perhaps No. 8-ranked Jeremy Stephens would make sense.
Stephens is coming off of an impressive win over Dennis Bermudez, and was campaigning for a bout with Edgar, but obviously missed out. Faber gives Stephens that big name, while Stephens gives Faber a chance to bounce back.
Who should “The California Kid” face upon his return?
