'The California Kid' Moves to Bantamweight

[stephaniewicked]

What do you guys think of this move for him? He will have to cut more weight now... doesn't that have the potential to hurt him more than help him? Look what happened to Diego Sanchez when he moved in on Penn's territory... He got pwned!

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http://mmalinker.com/news/view/1428367/

Faber Moves to 135
June 09, 2010 12:09 PM

Urijah Faber will now officially be a problem for the bantamweight division.

The former WEC featherweight champion will make the move down to 135lbs for his next fight on August 18 as he faces Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki in the WEC.

The bout was confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by sources close to the fight stating bout agreements have been issued at this point for the bantamweight showdown.

After a successful run at featherweight that including a long title reign, Urijah Faber (23-4) ran into a tough contest in his last fight, facing current 145lb king Jose Aldo at the first ever WEC pay-per-view. Faber lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian champion, and afterwards speculation began immediately about a move down in weight for the "California Kid."

Faber had gone back and forth with the decision due to teammate and close friend Joseph Benavidez also competing in that division, but ultimately he's decided to make the move and will face a tough test in his first fight at 135lbs.

Takeya Mizugaki (13-4-2) made quite the impression on American fans during his WEC debut in 2009 after stepping in as a late replacement to face then champion Miguel Torres for the bantamweight belt. Mizugaki lost a decision to Torres, but gained a slew of fans after battling for every second in the fight, and proving he could hang with the best in the world at 135lbs.

Since that time, Mizugaki has gone 2-1 in the WEC with wins over Jeff Curran and most recently over Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Rani Yahya at the WEC pay-per-view in April. The Japanese heavy hitter will be the first to welcome Faber to the division in August.

The August 18 event has not yet been announced by the WEC, but early indicators are that the show will take place in Las Vegas. MMAWeekly will have more information about the show as it becomes available.

[Hit-Girl]

I think his star is fading. He is mixing it up to see if he can still hang with top guys.

[stephaniewicked]

He hit a rough spot, for sure! He's still so young though... I would hate to see all his successes be behind him already. I hope the best for him in the new weight class, but I do think it's gonna be a challenge.

[TLF BABY]

i think he has can eventually challenge cruz for the title in bantamweight but than again im biased as hes always been my fav fighter.

[TLF BABY]

and he already choked cruz out when they fought at 26 when faber held the featherweight belt so i can see faber handling him again even at the lighter weight... if that fight ever even happens.

[Wh1teruss1an]

I think he'll do well. He carries a good amount of muscle at 145, It should be pretty easy to slim down 10 pounds. I'll be looking forward to the fight.

[DaPulse]

Keep in mind Faber does not cut any weight to fight at 145 he walks around at 144.5 to 145. He will be able to deyhdrate down to 135 and rehydrate and be close to 145 when the fight starts.

[dropshot001]

I think he'll do well. He carries a good amount of muscle at 145, It should be pretty easy to slim down 10 pounds. I'll be looking forward to the fight.

faber vs torres will be good. i think the move will be good for him

[IronCrusher]

Dropping weight classes is a puss move if you ask me. Going up a class takes balls.


Faber totally dominated his class for a long long time, and now that he got his ass kicked by Aldo and Brown, he decides to go fight smaller fighters? He's still the best fighter in his class, except Aldo, and he wants to quit any near future chance at a re-match with Aldo?

I don't like it, but I'm not Urijah so I have no say.

Good luck to him whatver he decides. I like the dude.

[dropshot001]

Dropping weight classes is a puss move if you ask me. Going up a class takes balls.


Faber totally dominated his class for a long long time, and now that he got his ass kicked by Aldo and Brown, he decides to go fight smaller fighters? He's still the best fighter in his class, except Aldo, and he wants to quit any near future chance at a re-match with Aldo?

I don't like it, but I'm not Urijah so I have no say.

Good luck to him whatver he decides. I like the dude.

there are a lot of guys who are dropping into his class, like mike brown and gamburyan.

[Wh1teruss1an]

there are a lot of guys who are dropping into his class, like mike brown and gamburyan.

Brown is going to Bantam too?

[dropshot001]

Brown is going to Bantam too?

i meant the guys who were dropping from light weight into the feather weight division.

[Wh1teruss1an]

gotcha, i'm retarded, thanks for the clarification.