Bantamweights
#4 BW | Petr Yan (13-1) vs. #12 | Urijah Faber (35-10)Advertisement
Faber’s comeback tour sure got serious in a hurry. “The California Kid” looked to retire at exactly the right time at the tail end of 2016. He was still capable of beating down fellow veterans like Brad Pickett, but the elite fighters in the bantamweight division were obviously passing him by. Plus, Faber always had his hands in several businesses and money-making ventures, so it was a shock when he announced his return earlier this year. At age 40, Faber got a hometown fight against rising action fighter Ricky Simon. Fortunately for Faber, Simon proved to be exactly the right opponent for the moment, as he charged directly into a huge Faber counter that quickly ended festivities. It was clear afterwards that the fight was not a one-off venture, so there was some intrigue about exactly how the UFC would handle Faber going forward. Would it gift him an immediate title shot due to his name value? Would it use him as an attraction for fun if not particularly relevant fights against fellow veterans and mid-tier upstarts? No, the UFC is apparently treating Faber like any other contender and doing so in about the cruelest fashion, matching him with an uber-violent rising Russian in Yan.
Yan has been a pro for less than five years, which is fairly amazing, since it seems like he was a hot prospect for years before making his way to the UFC in 2018. “No Mercy” is an appropriate moniker for the Siberian, as he constantly looks to inflict pain on his opponent without much concern for what is coming back at him. Yan mixes a devastating combination of punches and kicks while avoiding danger, even against practiced hard hitters like John Dodson and Jimmie Rivera. It seems inevitable that Yan will be challenging for bantamweight gold sooner rather than later, and maybe then, some weaknesses will become apparent. Up to this point, he has simply broken down everyone in his path.
As Faber was close to what turned out to be his first retirement, a trend started to emerge, particularly in his fights against Rivera and Frankie Edgar. As soon as Faber realized he was out of his depth in a striking match, he was more than content to make a business decision, stay cautious and focus on avoiding damage rather than winning rounds. It is impossible to know if he still has that mentality. Simon’s combination of aggression and lack of defense made him the perfect candidate to get blasted by Faber, even in his more conservative late-career form. If Faber has rediscovered some of his fire and aggression, there is the off chance that he can find some success simply by selling out in favor of his wrestling, since that seemed to be what gave Yan the most trouble on the Russian regional scene. However, it is more likely than not that within the first few exchanges of the fight Faber decides to take his foot off the gas pedal and coast to a decision loss. Unfortunately, given that he is facing Yan, that choice may not be up to him. The pick is Yan via second-round knockout.
Continue Reading » ESPN2 Prelims
Related Articles
