U. Faber made himself available to fight at UFC 161. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Since last Saturday (18), when the news that an injury had forced the departure of Renan Barao of the main fight of UFC 161, an atmosphere of uncertainty surrounds the event on June 15th. But even before an official statement from the organization, the former challenger Urijah faber offered to replace the Brazilian in the fight.
In an interview with the website mma mania, Faber stated that he had not received any invitation to join the card, but made himself available. “I just found out and from the looks of it, we have the champion injured and now the interim champion injured. This is terrible. No one has contacted me about filling the position, but if the opportunity comes knocking, I will certainly consider it,” said the former WEC champion.
The situation for UFC 161 became even more uncertain after this Monday (20). This is because the tests carried out by Barão would be announced on that date by his coaches, a fact that did not occur and further increased speculation surrounding the situation of the interim bantamweight champion.
If Barão's injury is confirmed and he is replaced by Urijah faber, it wouldn't be the first time this year that the North American entered the main fight of an Ultimate event at the last minute. At the TUF 17 Finale, in April, his fight against Scott Jorgensen was the organization's alternative, after the departure of Demetrious Johnson and John Moraga on the card.
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