Faber prefers to avoid fighting Dillashaw: 'There are all types of guys I would face'

Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Urijah faber currently occupies an uncomfortable position within the UFC. The “California Kid”, one of the organization's most popular fighters, is second in the official rankings of the bantamweight category and is coming off a submission victory at UFC 175, last Saturday (5), when he beat Alex Caceres with a rear naked choke. Despite this, the fighter cannot dream of fighting for the belt, as the current champion, TJ Dillashaw, is your training partner.

In an interview with the English magazine “Fighters Only” website, Faber stated that he would only consider accepting the fight with Dillashaw because of an offer he couldn't refuse. “I fight because I love to fight, and not for the money. If someone had a billion dollars and wanted to make it work for both of us, I'd talk to them. But I don't want to face him. There are guys of all types that are tough that I would like to face. Kid Yamamoto is one of them – I’ve been asking for this fight for a long time”, commented the American.

Despite expressing all his admiration for Yamamoto, Faber recognizes that the fight would not make sense at the current moment. “This fight would have been really incredible a few years ago. People have no idea how great Kid Yamamoto was. I would have been a huge underdog against him. He has already achieved everything and would give me an incredible fight, but the opportunity has passed”, he concluded.

Yamamoto, 37 years old, was one of the biggest names in Japanese MMA in the last decade, standing out in events such as Shooto and K-1 Hero's. However, the fighter hasn't known what it means to win since joining the UFC in 2011, having lost to Demetrious Johnson, Darren Uyenoyama and Vaughan Lee. Yamamoto has not played since 2012, but is expected to return in September, in Japan, against an opponent to be determined.

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