“I wanted that fight,” when bantamweight legend almost fought Conor McGregor instead of Nate Diaz at UFC 196
Bantamweight legend Urijah Faber reveals that he almost fought former champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196 instead of Nate Diaz.
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Urijah Faber almost fought Conor McGregor instead of Nate Diaz at UFC 196 (Image Courtesy - MMA Fighting, The Mirror)
UFC 196 featured the epic fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz in a welterweight bout. Dana White booked a lightweight title bout between McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 196. However, dos Anjos pulled out due to an injury and got replaced by Diaz on a two-week notice. Most fans forget that a bantamweight legend almost fought Conor McGregor at UFC 196. He is none other than Urijah Faber.
In an interview, Faber said, “I wanted that fight not because I disliked Conor. I actually love Conor but that’s the fight. Dana was like ‘Hey kid I know I told you weren’t gonna get this fight but we need you to step in.’ This is at the 55 pounds, and I am a 35er…. Frankie Edgar was injured, Cowboy was coming off a loss to RDA, and Conor didn’t want to fight him off a loss. Aldo didn’t want to fight and Nate Diaz told him to f*** off.”
Faber says that Diaz had certain conditions about the contract before taking on McGregor. In the end, McGregor decided to fight Diaz in the welterweight division. Faber feels that he would have fought McGregor at UFC 196 if the UFC and Nate Diaz did not reach an agreement. After UFC 196, Faber competed for the bantamweight title before retiring for the first time.
Urijah Faber is one of the greatest fighters who did not win a UFC title. He joins the list of fighters like Alexander Gustaffson, Stephen Thompson, and Joseph Benavidez in that prestigious list. Faber competed for the title on three occasions. However, he came up short in those encounters.
Urijah Faber’s History with Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor coached season 22 of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Urijah Faber. Team McGregor featured fighters from Europe, whereas Team Faber consisted of fighters from the USA. TUF: Team McGregor vs Team Faber remains the most entertaining season in the program’s history.
McGregor and Faber trash-talked each other on numerous occasions. In an iconic moment, McGregor would foreshadow the ultimate betrayal of Faber’s teammate. Faber and T.J. Dillashaw were teammates at the Alpha Male gym in California. However, McGregor said that Dillashaw would betray Faber shortly.
In the next year, Dillashaw left the gym and joined Faber’s rival gym led by Duane Ludwig. McGregor confronted Dillashaw during the filming session about his impending betrayal. However, Dillashaw remained silent and went on to betray Faber later. McGregor and Faber remain close friends to this day.
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Nidhin Shibu
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