Urijah Faber isn’t ruling out a return to the Octagon.
Faber, the former WEC featherweight champion, is now 42-years-old and has not fought since he suffered a TKO loss to Petr Yan at UFC 245. However, the UFC Hall of Famer has always hinted at a return to the sport, and he says he plans on sitting down with the UFC to discuss that. He also knows if he were to return, it would not be for several months as he would need to get back into fight shape.
“If I was going to compete, I would need to get back into Rocky mode and it would take me a couple of months. I just dislocated my pinky unfortunately in practice. I don’t know how long that will take at this point, I can’t make a fist with it,’ Faber said to The Schmo. “I’m not opposed to getting into a good old fistfight, fun, you get paid, part of your passion. Don’t count the idea out. I’ll have a sitdown with Sean Shelby and maybe Dana White to see if they think it’s a good idea to get back in there. But, I’m always game.”
If Faber does return, he would have no shortage of possible opponents. He has been called out by several bantamweights but one fighter that has called him out the most is Marlon Vera. Faber says he would be interested in that fight as there is a storyline is there.
Vera fought Faber’s pupil in Song Yadong and lost a controversial decision. Ever since then, “Chito” has made it clear he wanted to fight Faber, and the Hall of Famer isn’t opposed to that idea.
“I fight because I love it, it’s a good time, the entire experience. Not having a crowd, I was definitely not going to fight,” Faber said. “Now that the crowds are back, I definitely wouldn’t put it past (me returning). I’ve heard maybe seven or eight guys that have called me out or ask for the fight, some respectfully and some disrespectfully. Chito Vera, he is one of the guys. That would be an interesting matchup.
“It’s funny the whole thing that happened with him and Song Yadong. He was all bent out of shape after that fight, backstage his whole team was ranting and raving,” Faber concluded. “I said ‘guys, you can always do it again.’ He was like ‘well why don’t you fight me then?’ right in front of Song. I go ‘oh you don’t want to fight Song again?’ ‘Oh no, no I do blah, blah.’ But, he hasn’t said a word about Song, you know. That would be a good one though, old Chito Vera.”
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