Risk and Reward For Faber

by Michael Rome on May 29, 2008 3:34 PM EDT in News Comment 10 comments

UFC has long flirted with the idea of bringing in Urijah Faber to main event a Spike special or fight on a PPV to get him even more over nationally as a star, because it would help WEC a lot. In an interview over at MMA Junkie, Faber says he wants to avenge his loss to Tyson Griffin:

"I'd definitely like to avenge the loss, of course," said Faber, who secured the WEC's 145-pound title in March 2006. "It's my only blemish. At this time, it's something that could happen in the future. We're both pretty young in the sport."

For what it's worth, Faber said he's willing to jump up a weight class if means getting Griffin as an opponent. The UFC doesn't currently have a 145-pound weight class, and Griffin fights as a 155-pounder in the UFC.

"I wouldn't have a problem going up to 155," he said. "We were actually supposed to do it one time before [Griffin] went into the UFC."

I wouldn't be surprised if this happens sooner than later. I don't expect them to make a deal with Yamamoto and K-1 anytime soon, so as long as Faber wins Sunday, he doesn't have any real huge matches looming in the 145 pound division. I for one would love to see this on a UFC show, but there are obvious risks and downsides to the idea if Faber loses.

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I think the risk is too much here…if he did avenge the fight with Tyson…then what? Would he stay at 55? If he lost…yea it was at a different weight class…but he still LOST…so that kinda tarnishes him being the champ in the WEC. The best case scenario would be to move Griffin to the WEC…however, I’m not sure he would be willing to cut to 45….and that also takes one of your upper tier LW’s from the UFC’s LW division.

by Tha Realness on May 29, 2008 3:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

From what I understand the first Griffin/Faber fight was at 145 and Griffin has said he never wants to make that cut again, but I am unsure of those facts. If he would loss to griffin at 155 then its not worse then losing to Pulver at 145. Pulver, as competitor at 145, didn’t fair well at 155 recently. He took his lumps v. BJ and got stopped by Lauzon (a guy who can move to 145). I think Pulver is a new fighter with a new lease on his fighting life, but it doesn’t make it look and better.

by szucconi on May 29, 2008 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lauzon cannot move to 145

He’s made the weight in the past, but explained that the cut took a serious toll on him and probably cost him the Menjivar fight. Not a good comparison.

by Luke Thomas on May 29, 2008 4:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats a great point that I was unaware of. Thanks. Maybe you can confirm or deny what weight the Griffin/Faber fight was at?

I think my point is still valid. A loss to Griffin at 155 isn’t as bad as a loss to Pulver in Fabers own weight class.

by szucconi on May 29, 2008 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Personally I think that the most likely candidate for a WEC match on a UFC PPV or on a Spike card would be a Faber v. Pulver rematch if this is a close fight or has a highly contested ending. Realistically, these are the two biggest names in the WEC right now, and would probably be a better fit for a UFC PPV. Though that would be dependent upon a couple of things: a close exciting fight (which is in no way guaranteed) and wrestling a rematch away from Vs. (who would understandably want one of the most marketable WEC fights in its history to air on their channel). Those are two pretty big ifs, in my humble opinion.

by Estrada on May 29, 2008 4:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Faber v. Pulver rematch

I agree with this. I don’t think he necessarily has to fight at a “UFC weight” to fight on a UFC card. I have no problem with watching a WEC Featherweight championship match on UFC card, even on a pay-per-view. It would provide huge exposure to the WEC and Faber himself. I really like the idea of WEC trying to establish itself as the premier organization for lower weight classes, and the UFC’s potential role in doing so could be huge.

by Popetastic on May 29, 2008 4:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

How about a 150 lb catchweight?

Seems fair to me…

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by Brent Brookhouse on May 29, 2008 4:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Catchweight makes the most sense..

If the rematch were to ever come to fruition.

It’s amazing though not surprising to hear that Tyson usually walks around at: 180 lbs. Frame wise, the guy seems to carry a bulk of that weight in the lowerbody.

In all seriousness, both guys have gotten better through each fight and they’ve fought equally challenging fighters respective of their divisions. I think like any successful fighter, Faber want’s to avenge his losses. In my opinion, I’m not so sure the outcome would be any different should they ever fight again.

by Gregory Kim on May 29, 2008 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fabr vs Griffin rematch

Couple of angles to look at this, kinda makes it confusing. The way I see it:
1. Faber dominates Pulver- I think in the absence of Yamamoto, they are going to have to make the griffin fight happen. It will be the only compelling fight left for him. If they don’t, they will be in the same place with Faber that they are in with Anderson Silva.
2. Faber loses to Pulver or its a 5 round war in which either wins- the rematch is immediately scheduled and they dodge a bullet for the time being.

In the event that they are forced to make the Griffin fight happen, i think faber should move up cleanly to the 155lb division for the fight as opposed to a catch weight scenario. It opens up multiple avenues. If he loses to Griffin, it was his only professional loss in the division and he can still claim supremacy at 145lbs. If he wins, they lose griffin as a contender but they gain many more possible super matches at 155 between Faber and the top guys. Maybe even a super fight against BJ Penn.

If for the sake of argument he moves up to 155 for the griffin fight, they could host it in the UFC and maybe bring a few of the other champs up as well. I would love to see Carlos Condit on the same card against GSP, Fitch, Or Karo. Would be an easy market fight and would probably draw very well. I know it will never happen, but a guy can dream can’t he?

by strictlymma.com on May 29, 2008 7:52 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I could not imagine the UFC ever putting this event together because the risks involved are just too high. First, I have a hard time picking Urijah winning this fight. Tyson Griffin is just a little bit better than him at everything at this point. The main reasons for this are simply the competition Tyson’s faced in the UFC since his fight with Urijah (e.g., Frankie Edgar; Thiago Tavares; Clay Guida) and the training partners he has (e.g., Joe Stevenson; Gray Maynard).

Second, a loss by the WEC’s poster boy hurts the WEC more than a win would benefit it. If he lost, casual fans would not make the 145/155 weight class distinction. Thus, promotion the image that Zuffa is trying to hard to move away from – that the WEC serves as the UFC’s minor leagues.

(the poster formerly known as holden636)

by TheFightJournal on May 30, 2008 12:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs