Faber: No Plans to Drop to Bantamweight Yet
Loretta Hunt Apr 29, 2010
Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber
said he has no immediate plans to drop down to the bantamweight
division following his sobering unanimous decision defeat against
champion Jose Aldo at
WEC 48 “Aldo vs. Faber” last Saturday at the Arco Arena in
Sacramento, Calif.
“The bottom line in that fight is it wasn’t a weight thing,” Faber told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “It’s Time” host Bruce Buffer on Tuesday. “If anything, Aldo and myself are two of the smaller 145-pounders. It wasn’t a factor of not being big enough. I really need to work on my leg kicks.”
Faber said he’d be willing to move down to the lighter division
after teammate Joseph
Benavidez, who’s on the cusp of a title shot against champion
Dominick
Cruz, ran his course.
“That’s not my main focus (right now),” said Faber. “My main focus is filling my weaknesses and getting better.”
“I checked one or two in the second rounds, but he’s so good with those kicks, he was sneaking a couple of them in there, and by the second or third one that landed, it was really hard to bring my leg up,” said Faber.
Faber said he tried to set up his takedowns in the second round, but the combination of Aldo’s onslaught and his reaction time to Faber’s attempted advances proved to be insurmountable.
Faber said he knew he was in trouble in the third round.
“I was still looking at a few things where I thought I might have a chance,” said Faber. “I switched my stance. I was looking for a lead hook… if I could get his head underneath me and go for a choke, I would do that, but it was looking pretty grim at that point. I only had one leg and I was just hobbling around.”
Faber didn’t quit, though, and rode out the losing fight for 25 minutes, much to the delight of the 12,000-plus who came out to cheer on the local hero. However, one unimpressed observer, Sacramento Bee writer Victor Contreras, urged the 31-year-old to retire in his Monday column.
Faber called the writer “uneducated” and “a moron.”
“It is what it is,” said Faber. “There’s just a lot of ignorance out there.”
Faber said he’s planning a trip to Thailand in June to sharpen his striking.
“The bottom line in that fight is it wasn’t a weight thing,” Faber told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “It’s Time” host Bruce Buffer on Tuesday. “If anything, Aldo and myself are two of the smaller 145-pounders. It wasn’t a factor of not being big enough. I really need to work on my leg kicks.”
Advertisement
“That’s not my main focus (right now),” said Faber. “My main focus is filling my weaknesses and getting better.”
After Saturday’s defeat, Faber told Buffer that he’ll concentrate
specifically on leg kicks, which proved to be the strongest weapon
in the 24-year-old Brazilian’s arsenal against the weathered
veteran.
“I checked one or two in the second rounds, but he’s so good with those kicks, he was sneaking a couple of them in there, and by the second or third one that landed, it was really hard to bring my leg up,” said Faber.
Faber said he tried to set up his takedowns in the second round, but the combination of Aldo’s onslaught and his reaction time to Faber’s attempted advances proved to be insurmountable.
Faber said he knew he was in trouble in the third round.
“I was still looking at a few things where I thought I might have a chance,” said Faber. “I switched my stance. I was looking for a lead hook… if I could get his head underneath me and go for a choke, I would do that, but it was looking pretty grim at that point. I only had one leg and I was just hobbling around.”
Faber didn’t quit, though, and rode out the losing fight for 25 minutes, much to the delight of the 12,000-plus who came out to cheer on the local hero. However, one unimpressed observer, Sacramento Bee writer Victor Contreras, urged the 31-year-old to retire in his Monday column.
Faber called the writer “uneducated” and “a moron.”
“It is what it is,” said Faber. “There’s just a lot of ignorance out there.”
Faber said he’s planning a trip to Thailand in June to sharpen his striking.
Related Articles
