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Urijah Faber confirms UFC comeback: ‘I just accepted a fight’

Urijah Faber recently turned 40 years old and had his first child. So how does he celebrate? By requesting a UFC comeback fight; a request that appears to have been granted.

Though it was unclear a few weeks ago whether or not Faber was serious when he posted on social media about wanting to make a UFC return, we now know for sure. He was dead serious. Faber recently told former UFC title contender and current commentator Dan Hardy that he "just accepted a fight."

The talk about a return started when Faber said, "I know my baby is keeping me young… but a good ole fist fight could help the cause… #ufcsacramento on the Horizon @ufc 145 or 135 & who would be fun?" on his Instagram account. UFC Sacramento takes place on July 13, so that is likely the target.

Why does Urijah Faber want to make a UFC comeback?

But why now? What is making Faber want to jump back in the Octagon after having stepped away two-and-a-half years ago and being immediately inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame?

"Looking at today’s landscape, I just know that I can compete easily," Faber told Hardy. "I’ve stayed in great shape. It sounds like fun and the reason I stopped is because I wanted to. The reason I’m coming back is  because I decided I want to."

Though he failed on four occasions to capture a UFC title, Faber believes that he still has it in him to make another championship run, but he insisted that wasn't necessarily his goal. But he is coming back, that much is for sure.

"I just accepted a fight yesterday, I don’t know if that’s supposed to be put out yet," Faber said. And he apparently has the opponent lined up, as he and Hardy said it was a good match-up, but neither was willing to divulge a name until they got the green light from UFC officials. 

Conor McGregor wants Urijah Faber to go after former teammate TJ Dillashaw

One fighter that Faber teased he might want – if he sticks around long enough – is TJ Dillashaw, a former teammate that he and his Team Alpha Male had a very public falling out with. Faber said that even Conor McGregor, whom he talks to from time to time, has pushed him to go after Dillashaw.

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"Conor McGregor and I talk on occasion and he’s always clawing at me, 'Go get that snake! Go get that weasel!' and you have other sentiment about that. 'The story’s not over!' You know how Conor is. He’s hilarious. We have little private conversations on occasions like that."

Dillashaw, however, is off the table for the near future. He was suspended for two years after testing positive for the banned substance EPO stemming from his January bout with Henry Cejudo, which he lost. 

Whom Faber will face in his return bout and the date have yet to be confirmed, but the UFC Hall of Famer is headed back to the Octagon.


Urijah Faber's full interview with Dan Hardy

(Courtesy of Full Reptile)