Faber gets another opportunity to win elusive UFC title, cement legacy
NEW YORK — One of the obvious storylines this week centered on the lasting legacy of one of the biggest stars of his sport who again will chase the holy grail of his profession.
Despite his greatness, can he be considered one of the best of all time when he often comes up short in the biggest moments?
That athlete is Urijah Faber.
Faber is one of the most recognizable and marketable fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. That’s a major reason he was chosen on short notice to challenge Renan Barao for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 169 tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
It’s one more chance for Faber to win a UFC title, essentially the only honor in the sport he has yet to achieve.
UFC president Dana White says Faber needs to win a title to cement his legacy.
“He was the (World Extreme Cagefighting) champ, which was great. It was the top prize in his weight class at the time,” White said. “But everybody wants that UFC belt. I think it’s definitely a defining moment in his career.
“He knows it. He’s a laid-back dude, but he ain’t that laid back. He knows he needs to win that belt. He wants to win that belt. He’s a fierce competitor, and winning that thing is so big.”
Faber has heard the questions about his inability to win title fights. He has dropped five consecutive championship bouts since losing the WEC belt to Mike Brown in November 2008.
Out of 36 career fights, his six losses have come with a belt on the line. Along with the WEC belt, Faber has held the King of the Cage title and fought for the Gladiator Challenge belt.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Faber said. “I think when you’re fighting championship fights, you’re fighting the guys who are also the best in the world. The smallest advantage or disadvantage could mean the fight.”
Faber already had one shot at Barao, then the interim champ, in July 2012. Barao retained the title with a unanimous decision, but Faber responded and went 4-0 in 2013.
Barao was scheduled to fight returning champion Dominick Cruz on this card until Cruz suffered yet another injury and was stripped of the title. Barao’s interim tag was erased, and Faber took the fight on short notice to get another chance at Barao.
Faber is coming off a win over Michael McDonald on Dec. 14 but was eager to get back into the cage.
“I don’t feel comfortable unless I’m doing something,” Faber said. “It’s like a cigarette smoker with nicotine.”
Barao has been impressed with Faber’s surge since their first fight.
“I watched all of his fights from 2013,” Barao said. “He’s completely different. He has improved a lot in his stand-up game. I’ll have to be careful of that.”
The fight caps a card that will take place just down the road from Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. The UFC normally has its Super Bowl weekend card in Las Vegas and plans to return to that schedule next year.
White said the reason the UFC broke tradition was simple.
“We’re here because Fox has the Super Bowl, and they wanted us to be here with them,” he said. “We had reservations at first about whether we should do it or not, but it’s been awesome. The thing’s a sellout. The media here has been amazing. Fox really did a good job of integrating us with the game.”
It also has meant a lot of interviews for fighters. Faber spent several hours Wednesday at the Sheraton Times Square making the rounds on Radio Row.
He enjoyed the attention and opportunity to hype himself and the event, but he noticed a common theme throughout the room.
Even though Barao is 31-1 and has not lost a fight since his professional debut in 2005, he’s still fighting an uphill battle for recognition.
“I feel like Barao’s been overlooked,” Faber said. “I did a bunch of interviews, and people kept asking me how to pronounce his name. ‘Who is it you’re fighting again?’ And I’m like, ‘I’m fighting the world champion. The champion of the world from Brazil.’ He’s being overlooked. People know who I am and my skill set. They should know him, too.”
In a second championship fight on the card, Jose Aldo will defend his featherweight crown against Ricardo Lamas.
Also, heavyweight Alistair Overeem will fight Las Vegan Frank Mir in a bout between high-priced veterans on losing streaks.
The main card airs on pay per view at 7 p.m. The four-fight preliminary card airs live at 5 on Fox Sports 1 (Cable 329).
Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter @adamhilllvrj.
