Jose Aldo is making a tough cut to 135lbs this weekend at UFC 245, but Urijah Faber for one expects him to do well in the weight class.
Las Vegas, NV — One of the legends of the lower weight classes, and of MMA in general, Urijah Faber is back in action this weekend at UFC 245. Going down in Las Vegas, Faber (35-10) will take on Petr Yan, who has yet to taste defeat inside the octagon.
Faber himself is coming off a return fight that saw him make quick work of Ricky Simon. That, after taking a few years off for retirement, during which he was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. It appears there is plenty of gas left in the tank, however.
Speaking to Cageside Press and other media outlets Thursday at the UFC 245 media day, Faber noted how the sport has changed from the “dark ages of trying to promote the [lower] weight class, in WEC at the time.”
“It was like pulling teeth to get people to cover us at that time,” recalled Faber. “The sport’s changed, and that’s one of the reasons you don’t want to be left out of the mix right now. It’s an exciting time for the sport, for the division, and mixed martial arts is a thing that’s on a huge rise.”
Faber could also once again be on the rise if he can pick up what would be his third straight win, against Yan. The idea of a title fight against Henry Cejudo certainly has an appeal to it, and Faber is likely the biggest name in the division active at the moment.
As he put it, “I’m not here to stay safe or protect anything. This is the fight game. That’s why I got such a great relationship with the UFC.” He took a fight that was high risk in his return against Simon, and Yan (13-1) hasn’t lost since 2016. But then, “I’ve been that guy that steps up, goes up a weight class. I was bored, I went up and fought Frankie Edgar in the Philippines because I didn’t really feel like there was big names at 135. I do big fights, I take on all comers, if people don’t want to fight, I don’t give a sh*t really.”
Another big name is set to join Faber in the bantamweight division at UFC 245: Jose Aldo. The former UFC featherweight champion is making a difficult cut to 135lbs, and reviews so far have been mixed at best, with Aldo appearing drawn and thin in advance of the bout.
Asked whether the drop in weight was a good move for ‘Scarface,’ Faber replied by saying “I don’t know if it was a good move, but I think he’ll do well. I don’t have any doubt now though, because I know what kind of athlete he is, what kind of mentality he has.”
“I’m not sure how his body’s going to hold up,” he added. The UFC PI and Trifecta Nutrition, said Faber, do an “amazing job” of getting guys ready however. “If he recovers back up the way I did, the first couple times I made 135, he’ll be fine.”
Still, “that doesn’t take away from the fact that guys are just as tough at 35 as they are at 45,” he noted.
Watch the full UFC 245 media day press scrum with Urijah Faber above!
