Urijah Faber Previews UFC 245 Petr Yan Fight
Urijah Faber is set to have his second fight since his UFC return. Ahead of his UFC 245 bout, he explains how the fight with Petr Yan is so important.
Faber has long been one of the best Bantamweights in the world, even after he retired in 2016. Therefore, it was to little surprise when he announced his intent to return in 2019. Although some surprise came when he managed to knock out prospect Ricky Simon in less than a minute.
Following this win, Faber was looking for a title shot. Although it did not come, he did get something close, as he takes on #4 ranked Petr Yan at UFC 245. Ahead of the bout, “The California Kid” told MMAJunkie that he is aware how big of a task this is.
“He’s a very dangerous opponent,” Faber said. “I don’t think he’s afraid to wrestle, I don’t think he’s afraid to do jiu-jitsu, but I think he’ll be looking for the knockout. He’s good at the pressure, so he likes to push a fast pace. So do I. I think it’s going to be a who is the better guy on the night. He’s lucky I’m 40, otherwise I don’t even know if we’d be having this fight. I’m going to put it on him. I’m going to get the W, and I’m going to be one step closer to that Henry Cejudo fight.”
Faber continued, explaining that it does not matter if Yan is a lesser known name.
“Petr Yan, whether people know him or not, in my opinion, is one of the toughest guys in the division. He’s super dangerous,” Faber remarks. “he’s well rounded, he’s young. Taking him out, just stepping in front of him is the thing to do to get right in front. … I’m going to get in, try to get to the front of the line and see how that goes.”
How do you think Urijah Faber will do in his UFC 245 fight with Petr Yan? Does a win here get him a shot at Henry Cejudo?
