On December 12, the MMA world will finally get to witness the featherweight championship fight between seemingly untouchable division ruler Jose Aldo and brash interim titleholder Conor McGregor. Ever since the fight has been announced earlier this year, fans and media alike argued which fighter could have the edge in this historic matchup.
Urijah Faber knows both men very well, as the “California Kid” fought Aldo back in 2010 and coached the current season of The Ultimate Fighter against McGregor. The fight is “up in the air”, he tells MMA Junkie, but adds that “Conor winning is f-cking good for the sport.”
While Faber stressed that he has a good relationship with both men, he feels that McGregor holding the title could help the sport for two reasons.
Reason number one: “People f-cking love that guy, so I think the big money fights would be with him as champion. So (a McGregor win) makes a lot of sense.”
Reason number two: “Who’s the easier fight for some of my guys? I’ve gotta say Conor is. Aldo’s really, really well-versed with takedown defense. You saw Chad (Mendes) 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.”
Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor are set to unify their belts at UFC 194, December 12 in Las Vegas Nevada. Faber has a fight on the same card against Frankie Saenz at 135 pounds.