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New interview with Urijah Faber over the weekend on Submission Radio
Some Topics Covered:
-his fight against Dominick Cruz at UFC 199
-the recent media tour they were on and the trash talk that took place backstage and off-camera
-what this rivalry and the title mean for his legacy
-how devastating a loss would be for his career
-Cruz calling him “un-coachable”
-his biggest weapons compared to Cruz’s footwork
-his advantages over Cruz now that USADA have stepped in
-retirement rumors
-wanting to fight Conor McGregor next
-Joseph Benavidez leaving Team Alpha Male and what kind of terms they left on, and more.
Some Quotes:
On Dominick Cruz’s body going through a drastic change and not looking the same
“I’ll tell you what has happened, I’ve seen a drastic change in his body from the very first time that I fought him, to a year later when he fought, when he took the whole year off and came back all ripped. Then he looked pretty good two years ago when he made his long-awaited return, physically. And then all of a sudden he’s got floppy boobs and back fat. I mean, there’s no secret what’s going on there – and I know he knows it. The truth is, I’ve looked the same since I’ve been like 13-years-old. I’ve continued to be an athlete, I’ve continued to stay healthy. There’s something fishy going on there, and he knows and I know, that there’s a big advantage coming to me because of that. And I’ll just leave that at that and let USADA do their job.”
If because of Cruz’s body not looking the same if Faber feels like he’s already faced a more dangerous version of Cruz
“One thousand precent. And the truth is, I will give him the respect because he has the mental side and he has great technique, you know, for what he’s trying to do. But the truth is, he’s a fraction physically from what he used to be. And it’s still gonna be a very tough fight. I mean, you know, a world champion’s a world champion and that’s a mentality thing. But the odds are stacked in my favour.”
If Urijah plans on retiring after beating Dominick Cruz at UFC 199 and his plans on fighting McGregor next
“No, I’m not sure if you guys are interpreting that right from Cody or not. I mean, I know he did say it’d be a picture-perfect way for me to go out, but what I would like to do is beat Cruz, then fight Conor at 145.”
If anybody actually spoke to Urijah about the possibility of fighting McGregor next if he beats Cruz and how likely it is that he’d actually get that fight?
“You never know in this sport, but I do know that I got a call from Dana White offering me the fight that Nate Diaz took. That’s a fact. So he told me I would never fight Conor, and Conor and I got into it on the show – and I actually like Conor. You know, we got into it on the show about “He wanted to fight me, I wanted to fight him in Ireland,” and then Dana said “you guys will never fight”. Then Dana called me in the morning and said “you know what, I told you you’d never fight, this is your opportunity. We want to give this to you, blah blah blah”. I said “alright, let’s do it,” and then I got a call back from Dana saying that Conor wanted to fight Nate. So that’s what happened. So it is foreseeable for sure.”
On how Urijah Faber found out that Joseph Benavidez left Team Alpha Male
“I’ve been in contact with Joseph throughout the whole process. He’s been here many times and we always have an open dialog. I mean, the guy got married, he’s living in Vegas, he’s always owned a house – now he owns a couple of houses, I believe, in Vegas – his wife is out there and you know, I feel like he feels like maybe he just needed to try something new. I mean, he’s been very close to getting a world championship a couple of different times. I’m on very good terms with Joseph. I mean, I hate to see him go cause I love to have the guy around, he’s great energy. But he has been splitting time for a long time and I think he just made a decision.”
If Urijah saw it coming considering that Joseph was spending time at Team Elevation
“The truth is, Joseph’s cross-trained throughout the years everywhere. And to be honest, I saw it coming…not…I’ve talked to Joseph – he’s always had an open dialog about a bunch of different stuff, you know, since I’ve known him. And I actually heard from other reporters about Megan Olivi talking about it for a long time. So I knew that she was kind of in the mix on that decision. And like I said, we hate to see Joseph go. He’s been a huge part of the team for a long time and I will be rooting for him.
“I built this team by leading by example and just being someone that gives back to the team, but I’ve never wasted my time worrying about other people. I’ve always been training hard and bringing the best opportunities to my guys and stuff like that, but you know, once I start sitting around and worrying about everyone else, that’s when things become a problem. So Joseph was in here a couple of weeks ago, just kind of stopping to see everyone and kind of like an “adios” really. I just hate to see him go and I really feel like he’s going to be missing out. This team is pretty incredible, and the new situation that we have in here is the same regiment but with and invigorated enthusiasm and passion by the team leaders has been awesome, and it’s too bad that he’s not gonna be a part of it. And you guys will all see how great Team Alpha Male is gonna be doing and we’re excited for it and it sucks that he’s not part of it.”
Prediction for UFC 199
“When you don’t like someone you always just imagine yourself punching them in the face and knocking them out, and that’s the case. But I’ll do whatever I need to do. I’ll knock him out, I’ll choke him out, I’ll slam him on his head, I’ll you know, kick him in the nuts once at least – just joking – (laughs) and then whatever I need to do.”
Some Topics Covered:
-his fight against Dominick Cruz at UFC 199
-the recent media tour they were on and the trash talk that took place backstage and off-camera
-what this rivalry and the title mean for his legacy
-how devastating a loss would be for his career
-Cruz calling him “un-coachable”
-his biggest weapons compared to Cruz’s footwork
-his advantages over Cruz now that USADA have stepped in
-retirement rumors
-wanting to fight Conor McGregor next
-Joseph Benavidez leaving Team Alpha Male and what kind of terms they left on, and more.
Some Quotes:
On Dominick Cruz’s body going through a drastic change and not looking the same
“I’ll tell you what has happened, I’ve seen a drastic change in his body from the very first time that I fought him, to a year later when he fought, when he took the whole year off and came back all ripped. Then he looked pretty good two years ago when he made his long-awaited return, physically. And then all of a sudden he’s got floppy boobs and back fat. I mean, there’s no secret what’s going on there – and I know he knows it. The truth is, I’ve looked the same since I’ve been like 13-years-old. I’ve continued to be an athlete, I’ve continued to stay healthy. There’s something fishy going on there, and he knows and I know, that there’s a big advantage coming to me because of that. And I’ll just leave that at that and let USADA do their job.”
If because of Cruz’s body not looking the same if Faber feels like he’s already faced a more dangerous version of Cruz
“One thousand precent. And the truth is, I will give him the respect because he has the mental side and he has great technique, you know, for what he’s trying to do. But the truth is, he’s a fraction physically from what he used to be. And it’s still gonna be a very tough fight. I mean, you know, a world champion’s a world champion and that’s a mentality thing. But the odds are stacked in my favour.”
If Urijah plans on retiring after beating Dominick Cruz at UFC 199 and his plans on fighting McGregor next
“No, I’m not sure if you guys are interpreting that right from Cody or not. I mean, I know he did say it’d be a picture-perfect way for me to go out, but what I would like to do is beat Cruz, then fight Conor at 145.”
If anybody actually spoke to Urijah about the possibility of fighting McGregor next if he beats Cruz and how likely it is that he’d actually get that fight?
“You never know in this sport, but I do know that I got a call from Dana White offering me the fight that Nate Diaz took. That’s a fact. So he told me I would never fight Conor, and Conor and I got into it on the show – and I actually like Conor. You know, we got into it on the show about “He wanted to fight me, I wanted to fight him in Ireland,” and then Dana said “you guys will never fight”. Then Dana called me in the morning and said “you know what, I told you you’d never fight, this is your opportunity. We want to give this to you, blah blah blah”. I said “alright, let’s do it,” and then I got a call back from Dana saying that Conor wanted to fight Nate. So that’s what happened. So it is foreseeable for sure.”
On how Urijah Faber found out that Joseph Benavidez left Team Alpha Male
“I’ve been in contact with Joseph throughout the whole process. He’s been here many times and we always have an open dialog. I mean, the guy got married, he’s living in Vegas, he’s always owned a house – now he owns a couple of houses, I believe, in Vegas – his wife is out there and you know, I feel like he feels like maybe he just needed to try something new. I mean, he’s been very close to getting a world championship a couple of different times. I’m on very good terms with Joseph. I mean, I hate to see him go cause I love to have the guy around, he’s great energy. But he has been splitting time for a long time and I think he just made a decision.”
If Urijah saw it coming considering that Joseph was spending time at Team Elevation
“The truth is, Joseph’s cross-trained throughout the years everywhere. And to be honest, I saw it coming…not…I’ve talked to Joseph – he’s always had an open dialog about a bunch of different stuff, you know, since I’ve known him. And I actually heard from other reporters about Megan Olivi talking about it for a long time. So I knew that she was kind of in the mix on that decision. And like I said, we hate to see Joseph go. He’s been a huge part of the team for a long time and I will be rooting for him.
“I built this team by leading by example and just being someone that gives back to the team, but I’ve never wasted my time worrying about other people. I’ve always been training hard and bringing the best opportunities to my guys and stuff like that, but you know, once I start sitting around and worrying about everyone else, that’s when things become a problem. So Joseph was in here a couple of weeks ago, just kind of stopping to see everyone and kind of like an “adios” really. I just hate to see him go and I really feel like he’s going to be missing out. This team is pretty incredible, and the new situation that we have in here is the same regiment but with and invigorated enthusiasm and passion by the team leaders has been awesome, and it’s too bad that he’s not gonna be a part of it. And you guys will all see how great Team Alpha Male is gonna be doing and we’re excited for it and it sucks that he’s not part of it.”
Prediction for UFC 199
“When you don’t like someone you always just imagine yourself punching them in the face and knocking them out, and that’s the case. But I’ll do whatever I need to do. I’ll knock him out, I’ll choke him out, I’ll slam him on his head, I’ll you know, kick him in the nuts once at least – just joking – (laughs) and then whatever I need to do.”
