I was able to catch up with former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight champion Urijah "The California" Kid Faber on the eve of his UFC debut. I've interviewed Faber numerous times, but this one felt a little different in that it felt the same. That is: even though the stakes are raised, the show is bigger and the UFC is clearly positioning him as the face of the smaller fighters, he doesn't seem intimidated by the focus at all. Quite the contrary, he seems even more anxious to seize the opportunity. Whether he'll defeat Eddie Wineland come Saturday is an open question, but my best guess is it will be Wineland who will unaccustomed to the exposure.
UFC 128 Fight Card: Urijah Faber Says Dominick Cruz Not A Threat, ‘Just Good’
As part of the UFC 128 fight card, Urijah “The California Kid” takes on Eddie Wineland at UFC 128. In this exclusive interview, Faber talks to Luke Thomas of MMA Nation on 106.7 The Fan about that fight, potential UFC debut jitters and a looming rematch with now UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
We talked about B.J. Penn fighting at welterweight, the move to bantamweight and how it felt, getting a title shot, whether the UFC jitters is even a remote possibility and looking ahead to a rematch with Dominick Cruz. That's where Faber's candor was in full effect. Faber said a rematch between the two at bantamweight would be a very different fights and that both he and Cruz are very different fighters. But he also said Cruz isn't really a threat as a fight ender, he's just "good". Provided Faber gets past Wineland at UFC 128, a potential rematch with Cruz is going to be the first major fight for the lighter weight fighters (sorry Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick).
I’ve included a timestamp breakdown of the content of the interview after the video.
:48 BJ Penn fighting at welterweight, could be more competitive at 155lbs
1:30 Faber is a fan of the sport and watches all the events
1:49 Would like to fight overseas, but not a huge priority
2:45 Talks about not having fight against KID Yamamoto, just wants to fight the best
3:53 Doesn’t know if or if not, re: Yamamoto still in his athletic prime
4:40 Excited to be part of the UFC
5:26 Doesn’t agree lighter weight fighters have failed to live up to expectations after UFC-WEC merger
6:43 Hasn’t even thought about fighter in bigger show than WEC, no expectation of jitters
7:38 Has to be more strict with his diet in the final few weeks of camp, says it’s less of a hassle to keep on weight
9:00 Lighter weight fighters don’t necessarily have the ability to cut more weight
9:35 Felt stronger than Mizugaki when they locked up
10:32 Breaking down Eddie Wineland’s game
12:18 Talks about potentially fighting Dominick Cruz, describes how both fighters are different. “He doesn’t pose a huge threat as far as danger goes. He’s just ‘good’.”
13:45 Talks about Shogun vs. Jones, who Jones is and thinks he’ll be “too much” for Shogun.
14:59 Thinks Jose Aldo retains his title against Mark Hominick, but says Hominick is the best striker Aldo has ever faced.
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