UFC Fight Night 65: Former Champions Urijah Faber And Frankie Edgar Will Do Battle In Manila
Former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion Urijah Faber will face another former world champion in Frankie Edgar at UFC Fight Night 65. The bout will represent the UFC’s first mixed martial arts event in Manila, Philippines. However, for Faber, this fight provides him with the opportunity to topple the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender and could grant him a second shot at the 145-pound kingpin, Jose Aldo.
Many consider the Faber/Edgar matchup one of “superfight” status. Both athletes are veterans of the game who have reached the proverbial mountaintop of MMA and have also beaten a Who’s Who List of respected fighters. Between the two, some of their downed opponents include B.J. Penn, Gray Maynard, Sean Sherk, Hermes Franca, Jens Pulver and Dominick Cruz.
According to MMA Fighting, Faber’s manager, Mike Roberts, gave light to the importance of this bout in a recent interview.
“This fight was hard to put together. I think Urijah and Frankie both know this is a legacy fight and wanted to do it for the fans. At least I know that’s true for Urijah. It was the hardest fight to put together for me, ever.”
Via their Twitter page, both athletes expressed excitement regarding the upcoming matchup, with Faber giving light to the “East Coast, West Coast” theme while doing so.
Thrilla in Manilla @ufc East Coast, West Coast! http://t.co/VXzR3po5eH
— Urijah Faber (@UrijahFaber) February 12, 2015
Here we go! You’ve all been asking for this for a long time. The Most Shady v The California Kid.… http://t.co/caCIYjDcD5
— Frankie Edgar (@FrankieEdgar) February 12, 2015
With the victory, Edgar would most likely move on to contend for the title against the Aldo/Conor McGregor winner at UFC 189.
However, at 35 years old, Faber would like to secure UFC gold before retiring. From 2006-2008, the California Kid ruled the WEC’s featherweight division and positioned himself as perhaps the most recognizable face within the now-defunct MMA organization.
Since then, within the UFC, the former world champion has lost three title opportunities to Renan Barao (twice) and his rival, Dominick Cruz. Following his UFC 169 loss to Barao, per Yahoo! Sports, Faber continued to express his passion for securing UFC gold one day.
“It is a fact that I haven’t had the UFC belt yet. I came into this sport at a time when there wasn’t a weight class for my division in the UFC. It’s not like I’ve never won a title fight before. I just haven’t gotten the UFC belt and I plan on doing that.”
A win over the 145-pound No. 1 contender at UFC Fight Night 65 would allow Faber to significantly establish himself among a different weight class and perhaps even challenge for a UFC title for the fourth time.
[Featured Image Courtesy of Jeff Gross/Getty Images ]
