Urijah Faber has always maintained that he doesn’t want to fight TJ Dillashaw unless he has to.
Faber saw Dillashaw evolve from a future prospect to a champion in one night by dethroning Renan Barao in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. Dillashaw, had lost to Raphael Assunscao, who pulled out of UFC 173’s headliner with injury, and was a huge underdog against the Brazilian powerhouse who had never been beaten in the UFC.
TJ not only beat him, but he dominated the five-round fight and eventually put him away in the fifth.
Then Dillashaw left the gym to start a new project with striking coach Duane Ludwig in Colorado. From there, the rift between Ludwig and Team Alpha began expanding into a grotesque feud.
Chad Mendes goes full Henry Sellers burning Team Alpha Male's bridges with Duane Ludwig http://t.co/lkTHcrBMxE pic.twitter.com/yrh3dKJAJC
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) August 6, 2015
However, storylines sell fights. That’s why Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are having a welterweight do-over at UFC 202.
The bitter feud between Faber and Dillashaw would certainly make that fight a huge draw, but as the California Kid explained on this week’s MMA Hour, that really doesn’t matter now since Dillshaw’s been dethroned by Dominick Cruz.
“Big money for who? Think about that. There’s a certain couple of scenarios where that would be a big money fight. If it’s for a title… I don’t make a cut from anything unless it’s for a title.”
Faber is referring to the fact that he would not get a cut from the ticket sales or any PPV points, unless the fight headlined a numbered UFC event, which would not happen unless it was for a title.
However, money isn’t the only reason why Faber refuses to fight Dillashaw. It’s easy to forget that he was once very friendly with the former champion and he isn’t content with how it all played out. Faber admitted that he doesn’t want to air all that dirty laundry again unless he absolutely has to.
“I never really was interested in that fight. When I think of the TJ Dillashaw situation, it makes me more sad than anything else.”
“I never rule out anything, it’s not like it’s never going to happen, but it’s not like I’m setting my sights on that fight. That would be an uncomfortable build-up, uncomfortable all the way through and then it would be a fight.”
Listen to our new GAA podcast with Colm Parkinson. Click here to subscribe on iTunes
