Urijah Faber recently weighed in on the ongoing UFC bantamweight GOAT debate and offered an honest assessment without recency bias. He considered the division’s long history and highlighted the achievements of both past legends and current contenders.
The bantamweight GOAT debate has gained significant traction this year, largely because of former champion Merab Dvalishvili‘s impressive run. He successfully defended his title three times before losing it to Petr Yan in his fourth fight of the year.
While Dvalishvili has a strong resume, Faber pointed out that several former champions also have compelling cases for the GOAT title. ‘The California Kid’ helped pioneer the lighter weight divisions during his time in the WEC. His opinion carries weight because he has fought or competed alongside many of the division’s greatest fighters.
During an interview with journalist Helen Yee, Faber explained that the bantamweight GOAT debate remains unresolved. The former WEC champion believes fighters needs more time and accomplishments before claiming that title.
“That’s a hard one. [The bantamweight GOAT] is constantly changing and people seem to have short memories,. It’s like what’s happening right now,” Faber said. “I think [Petr] Yan in the talk, [Dominick Cruz is] in the talk, TJ [Dillashaw is] in the talk, there’s a lot of guys.”
He added:
“I don’t really feel like we’ll get to pick that out until some time down the road.”
Urijah Faber Offers Suggestion to Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili
Before his loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323, many in the sport, including coach John Wood, viewed Merab Dvalisvhili the bantamweight GOAT. They believed path to the title and steady improvements during each defense set him apart.
After the loss, the bantamweight GOAT debate became more subjective, as he was no longer champion. However, he remains capable of reclaiming the title, and Urijah Faber shared a helpful suggestion for his future.
Faber encouraged Dvalishvili to adjust his training approach. ‘The Machine’ is known for his incredible cardio and his intense sparring sessions. ‘The California Kid’ urged him to trust sports science more and reduce the physical toll on his body before fights.
“[Dvalishvili’s] got the most important part of the sport down, which is the mentality. He’s a grinder, he’s a guy that literally prides himself of breaking guys. I feel like in the process, a lot of times he’s breaking himself,” Faber told The Schmo. “It’s not always the smartest training regimen from what I understand what he’s doing. I heard he was doing 12 rounds of hard sparring a week-and-a-half out from his fight.”
He added:
“I think he needs to go in and use a little more science on a training and do what he did the first time [against Petr Yan].”
Who Holds UFC Record for Most Bantamweight Title Defenses?
Many UFC legends have competed in the bantamweight division since the promotion introduced it after the WEC merger in 2010. Since then, nine fighters have held the bantamweight title at least once.
Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili currently share the record for most bantamweight title defenses in UFC history, with three each. Sterling successfully defended his title against Yan, TJ Dillashaw, and Henry Cejudo.
Dvalishvili, on the other hand, successfully defended his title against Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley, and Cory Sandhagen.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Urijah Faber Drops Honest Take on the UFC Bantamweight GOAT Debate appeared first on Heavy Sports.