In Bantamweight action at UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen, Urijah Faber (28-6 MMA; 4-2 UFC) faces Yuri Alcantara (28-4(1) MMA; 3-1(1) UFC). This is the 4th of six fights on the main card. The official UFC rankings have Faber as the #2 contender at Bantamweight, with Alcantara unranked. UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen airs live on Fox Sports 1 this Saturday, August 17, with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
This is an interesting fight, as on paper, the two men look very evenly matched. Faber is just 1 year Alcantara's senior, and the two have remarkably similar records. Yet this also has the feeling of an old guard vs. young lion fight, with the up and coming Alcantara trying to take out the former champion Faber. I tend to love that kind of match-up, and I look forward to seeing how Alcantara deals with the step up in competition.
How do these two stack up?
Faber: 34 years old | 5'6" | 69" reach
Alcantara: 33 years old | 5'6" | 71" reach
What have these two done recently?
Faber: W - Scott Jorgensen (Sub) | W - Ivan Menjivar (Sub) | L - Renan Barao (UD)
Alcantara: W - Iliarde Santos (TKO) | NC - Pedro Nobre | L - Hacran Dias (UD)
How did these two get here?
Urijah Faber is the former WEC Featherweight champion and one of the biggest stars in the history of MMA's smaller weight classes. But he's in that tough Rich Franklin zone where he beats every single fighter in the division except the champ. In all of Faber's career, he's only lost once in a non-title fight, and that was back in 2005. But he also has not won a title fight since 2008. Faber is looking for more superfights in the lower weight classes as he struggles to find his place in the division.
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Yuri Alcantara is taking a big step up here. The Brazilian fighter has impressed in his young UFC career, with his lone Octagon loss coming against Hacran Dias. His biggest career win to date came on the final WEC show where he defeated Ricardo Lamas. A skilled ground fighter, Alcantara is someone who seems to have big things in his future. The question is, does that future begin today?
Why should you care?
Some fans don't like Faber, but I've never understood why - his fights always entertain. Against a slick grappler like Alcantara, I expect to see Faber turn in a great performance. Look for this one to potentially steal the show.
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