« BJ Penn comments on his sore shoulder and whether he needs surgery | Home | The forgotten UFC June 2011 non-PPV fight cards »
Urijah Faber expects UFC title fight against Dominick Cruz to have the same result as first encounter
By Zach Arnold | May 23, 2011
RON KRUCK: “How’s training going?”
URIJAH FABER: “Training’s been going great. I’ve been real busy, mixing the training along with everything else, that’s part of the game here in the UFC, so… I feel great. My weight’s under control, my body feels incredible and I can’t wait to get in there and fight.”
RON KRUCK: “Your thoughts now that you’ve now got one fight under your belt in the UFC and now that you’re the main event for an event?”
URIJAH FABER: “Yeah, I mean, I’m just honored to be main event. I feel like I’ve been in that position since I started in this game, ever since my third fight it’s been some sort of main event, you know, whether it be on a tiny little show or now the UFC so I just feel really fortunate, man. I can’t wait to put on a show and get that belt.”
RON KRUCK: “For people who don’t know why is it that you and Dominick (Cruz) just don’t get along?”
URIJAH FABER: “It’s been a number of different things, you know, it started way back when we fought the first time, him being disrespectful and kind of immature and then me beating him up and him continuing, you know. So, it’s like… you know, there’s not many people who get on my nerves like that but there’s, you know, a little more incentive, you know, this is like the old-school, meet-at-the-park and those are the best kind of fights and so it’s rare for me to have a real enemy, and I’m lucky in this one.”
RON KRUCK: “You got the victory over (Cruz), it was several years ago but is there anything that you can look at from that first meeting that can benefit you this time around or is this ancient history?”
URIJAH FABER: “We’re both very different fighters but I think there’s a little bit to learn from that fight, you know, and I’ve got a great game plan and I feel like in all aspects of the game I’m the better fighter, so… His thing is he’s real elusive and he’s got an unorthodox style but it’s a not real scary style, he’s not a big finisher and he frustrates people, he, you know, frustrator, irritator, but not The Dominator.”
RON KRUCK: “Recently, there’s been some big retirements in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, you know, Chuck going back a little bit further but most recently Randy Couture hanging up the gloves. Urijah, you’ve been in this sport for a long time, your thoughts about a pioneer like Randy going out?”
URIJAH FABER: “Um… you know, it’s been cool to watch Randy because I was there, you know, a fan since the beginning of his career and I remember the old comb over balding hair and, you know, the little Speedo and I just watched the whole thing change over time and he’s a real, he’s really a guy that’s helped out a ton of fighters and I’ve learned from that, the way he carried himself so it’s pretty amazing to see what he did in the sport, not only as a fighter but as an ambassador and somebody that paved the way for a lot of guys to represent the sport well, so… Can’t believe he lasted so long, man, and competitive, so it was pretty neat, man, to see guys like Chuck and Randy and, you know, Mark Coleman and even guys, you know, Tito Ortiz, he’s still fighting and that’s a guy that I looked at in the beginning and was the first guy I felt that came with some charisma and, you know, it’s neat to see how these things have changed and the sport’s so new but it’s got such a great history and every year, something new happens.”
RON KRUCK: “Looking at the way that Randy went out, you know, of course, he would have preferred to go out with a victory. But to go out on his own terms, you know, a lot of athletes, it doesn’t matter what the sport is, they don’t have that opportunity. Your thoughts about that to be able to say, hey, I’m feeling good and this is the time to leave?”
URIJAH FABER: “Yeah, I mean, basically what it comes down to is can you still beat some people up? And he believe he could so it’s cool to see someone who believes in himself and given that opportunity because there’s been a lot of times where guys are like, oh, man, what’s he doing, and all of a sudden he takes out Tim Sylvia and then he takes out Cheick Kongo or whoever it is, he’s taking out these monsters and it’s all about the mind, man, you know, everything is in the mind. You know, the age thing, there’s of course, you know, Mother Nature that has a hand in it, but… bottom line is, do you believe in yourself? And it’s good to see that age is just another factor that your mind has control of.”
Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
I’m picking Cruz. He was caught in the spotlight for their first fight. He has enough experience now that it won’t happen. And Faber hasn’t looked that great lately.