Urijah Faber responds to Dominick Cruz’s injury, wants Renan Barao as a replacement
Earlier today, news broke that Dominick Cruz tore his ACL training for his UFC 148 title bout versus arch-nemesis Urijah Faber. Instantly, the status of UFC 148 as potentially the biggest card ever was in jeopardy. While the event no longer features two title fights, it appears that Urijah Faber does still want to fight on the card, revealing the following via Twitter.com:
Sucks about @thedomin8r hope recovers fast! Sounds like 9 months aftr surgery @renanbaraoufc seems like the best replacement! @danawhite
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) May 7, 2012
As tension with Cruz was building during their stint as coaches on TUF, Faber now finds himself without a fight this summer. Faber apparently has a preferred match-up in Renan Barao, a Bantamweight on an absolute tear as of late. Barao has recently bested Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen in the UFC. He is unbeaten in 29 straight fights, having only lost in his MMA debut. He is a training partner of dangerous UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Barao, a submission whiz, was set to face Ivan Menjivar for the rumored number-one contender spot.
Always the professional, Faber wished his enemy a speedy recovery regardless of their much-publicized rivalry. How badly will this damage he legacy of UFC 148? A bout with Urijah Faber fighting Renan Barao may be a great fight, but does not bring nearly the amount of name recognition as The Ultimate Fighter coaches matching up after a season of hype. Faber will have to wait to avenge his UFC title loss to Cruz, does he deserve to fight for an interim title in the meantime?
