What’s At Stake For Urijah Faber At UFC Fight Night 66?
When you look at his overall body of work, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber is a fan favorite and arguably one of the best fighters in recent memory, and most definitely one of the very best fighters to never wear UFC gold (not yet, at least).
The former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champ is undefeated in non-title bouts throughout his career. He owns his own clothing line and is the captain of Team Alpha Male, one of mixed martial arts’ most prolific gyms, but there will always be the one thing Faber doesn’t have, and that’s UFC gold.
Luckily, “The California Kid” isn’t done yet. At age 36, he is approaching one of the biggest fights of his career this weekend; a super fight so to say, as he meets another world-class fighter in Frankie “The Answer” Edgar in the main event of UFC Fight Night 66 from the Philippines.
Faber is moving back up to 145 pounds after some time at bantamweight, a division where Edgar is currently ranked No. 2. For the New Jersey native it’s pretty clear that a win over Faber should warrant Edgar a featherweight title shot, but what’s at stake for “The California Kid” isn’t as clear. In my opinion, Faber is actually in quite a unique and somewhat odd situation.
If he can take out Edgar this Saturday, what should be next for the Team Alpha Male leader?
Should Faber receive a featherweight title shot if he wins? It’s possible due to the fact that the top contender in the featherweight division is currently Chad Mendes, Faber’s teammate who has had two title shots over the past few years. But then again, does he want to stay at featherweight, or should he go back down to bantamweight where he’s currently ranked No. 3? Does a win affect “The California Kid’s” status in the 135-pound division? Would a win warrant him yet another bantamweight title shot?
That’s tough to say, as there are many interesting questions and hypothetical possibilities if Faber were to score a win this coming weekend. Another problem, however, is one regarding Faber’s friends and teammates Mendes and bantamweight titleholder TJ Dillashaw.
If he does win, who’s to say the UFC isn’t looking for a title eliminator between Mendes and Faber? Or if a bantamweight title shot is the plan, would Faber fight Dillashaw, and vice versa. He has shown some signs that he hasn’t completely shut down the idea of fighting the 135-pound king, but it’s hard to say whether or not he actually would.
The future seems to be quite cloudy for the lightning fast and ultra-powerful Sacramento native. And even before thinking about all of these possibilities, Faber has to get by Edgar, one of the very best in the game. The odds say that he most likely won’t, yet if he does, the world will suddenly be full of new and exciting possibilities for the fan favorite Faber.
