WASHINGTON – After successfully returning from retirement earlier this year, UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber wanted one thing before agreeing to continue his comeback tour: a better contract.
It took a bit of time, but ultimately Faber (35-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC) got his wish, and that’s why he’s fighting Petr Yan (13-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 245, which takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
“I had a great conversation (with UFC president Dana White), and he’s always been fair to me, and my deal was an old deal,” Faber told MMA Junkie. “It was three or four years old. I’m not sure how they operate these days on what you make, but I think (we reached) a fair deal. My thing was, I told (matchmaker) Sean Shelby, ‘I’ll fight whoever you guys want, but let’s just make it right.’ Then I talked to Dana, and we got it worked out.”
Faber said he wasn’t kidding about his willingness to fight anyone, and he thinks the matchups proves it. He said he was presented with multiple opponent options, but he left it up to White and Shelby to make the final decision.
“Sean Shelby only offered me that originally, and I said, ‘I’ll fight whoever you want, just let’s make the thing right (with my contract),’” Faber said. “Then when I spoke to Dana he offered me about four different fights. I said, ‘Guys, I don’t care. I like to fight.’ He said, ‘This is what it looks like with you in the picture as far as getting close to the title.’ He gave me two names, and I said, ‘Whatever you guys want.’ This is the one they wanted.”
Of all the bantamweight contenders, Yan is arguably the most dangerous yet least known to the mainstream audience. The Russian, who is No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie bantamweight rankings, is on a roll. Beating him would prove that Faber, despite being 40, is still at the very top of the heap in terms of the division’s best.
“The California Kid” said he’s not expecting this return from retirement to last very long. For that reason, he’s aiming to reach the top and do it quickly. In Faber’s mind, beating Yan is the perfect launch pad into a title fight with dual UFC champ Henry Cejudo (15-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC).
“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.
“Petr Yan, whether people know him or not, in my opinion, is one of the toughest guys in the division. He’s super dangerous, 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.”
Happy with new contract, Urijah Faber hopes he'll jump line to Henry Cejudo after UFC 245
