On March 21, the UFC Fight Night series heads back to Brazil with a bantamweight main event between Urijah Faber and Raphael Assuncao. For Assuncao, this fight is a chance to continue what has been a steady rise up in the rankings, while Faber is trying to stay atop the divisional rankings.
Assuncao is no joke, and if he opens up a big underdog, he is someone who may warrant a look in this one. He has won seven UFC fights in a row, and that includes a split-decision win over current title holder TJ Dillashaw. One of the few blemishes on Assuncao’s 23-4 record is a January, 2010 loss to Faber, where he got choked late in the third round, but he has the confidence that he is a far more advanced fighter now. Assuncao has quality wins earlier in his career over UFC lightweights Jorge Masvidal and Joe Lauzon, so he has faced tough people throughout his career .
Faber has long been the owner of a top-three spot in the weight class rankings. Faber is a smart fighter who can make money marketing himself around fights, so he is well motivated to fight and keep what he has. At 35 he is one of the UFC’s poster boys and he has to want to maximize his income in the time he has left. His title hopes are grim, however. Currently, teammate TJ Dillashaw has the belt, and Dillashaw will be facing ex-champion Renan Barao in his next title defense. If Barao wins, the potential match is unappealing as Faber has already faced him twice and lost.
This fight may come down to a case of hunger. Assuncao made roughly $60,000 for his UFC 170 bout against Pedro Munoz, however the long winning streak without a title shot can serve as big motivation.
With a win here, Assuncao can force his way into the title picture. Should Dillashaw beat Barao in their re-match, the path should be set for Assuncao to be up next. The win over Dillashaw that he has is all te UFC needs to push that fight.
Here is a UFC video “3 things you didn’t know about Urijah Faber”:
