Report: Urijah Faber and Raphael Assuncao Headline UFC Fight Night 62 in Brazil
A bantamweight match-up between No. 3 ranked Urijah Faber and No. 4 ranked Raphael Assuncao headlines UFC Fight Night 62 on March 21 in Rio de Janeiro, according to Brazilian news outlet Globo.
Faber (32-7) has never lost a non-title fight in his 11-year mixed martial arts career. He’s fought for the UFC bantamweight title three times, but fell short of capturing the belt.
He’s strung together back-to-back wins since his UFC 169 loss to Renan Barao and a win over Assuncao would keep “The California Kid” in title contention, potentially putting him in the difficult position of deciding whether or not to challenge his friend and training partner TJ Dillashaw, who currently holds the belt.
SEE ALSO: Dana White Promises Faber and Dillashaw Would Fight Each Other
Assuncao (23-4) is on a seven-fight winning streak and hasn’t lost since March 2011. Clearly in a position to challenge for the title, Assuncao has been the victim of horrible timing. Recently, the Brazilian has been sidelined, healing from a broken ankle suffered in training in December.
Faber and Assuncao have fought before. They first met in a featherweight fight at WEC 46 in January 2010 that ended with Faber submitting Assuncao by a rear-naked choke in the third round. Faber hopes for a repeat performance, while Assuncao plans to avenge the previous loss.
