Urijah Faber has made himself plenty of new fans on this side of the Atlantic due to his appearance opposite Conor McGregor on the Ultimate Fighter. The California Kid is a very affable kind of guy and when he goes up against Frankie Saenz at UFC 194 on December 12th, he's sure to have plenty of support from the travelling Irish fans.
It's looked like Faber and McGregor have tried to get a bit of a feud going but neither have the heart for it. It's clear there's a lot of respect there. And while we may not see the pair go head to head, Faber is nonetheless in a very good position to offer his thoughts on the the big one, McGregor vs Aldo.
Aldo’s a very, very talented fighter and a humble guy and a guy that deserves everything he gets. Conor’s kind of the opposite. He’s not a humble guy, but he’s a good guy and he deserves everything he gets. I would say I have a good relationship with both guys.
However, when it comes to who he wants to see win the bout, Faber was up front in his belief that it's easy to see which of the two rivals can do more for MMA.
Conor winning is fucking good for the sport.
With Faber having dropped back down to bantamweight after his defeat to Frankie Edgar, a fight with McGregor is now unlikely. But, in his guise as Team Alpha Male founder, Faber knows who he'd rather see some of his charges go up against.
Who’s the easier fight for some of my guys? I’ve gotta say Conor is. Aldo’s really, really well-versed with takedown defence. You saw Chad was able to take down Conor at will. So having Conor win is a good thing for the wrestlers in the division and the sport in general. And Jose Aldo is a legend.
He may none the wiser than the rest of us over who will win on December 12th but it's fair to say, for whatever reason, Faber will certainly be hoping to see McGregor holding that belt at the end of the night.
