Urijah Faber thinks Henry Cejudo will have some disadvantages when he returns to the wrestling mat for the RAF 06 main event.
After retiring from MMA competition in December, Cejudo, who won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games, will go back to his roots for a showdown with UFC Hall of Famer Faber on Feb. 28 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Az. (FOX Nation).
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Faber said he’s ready to meet Cejudo head-on.
“The way I see it is I’m getting a bye to the Olympic finals,” Faber told MMA Junkie Radio. “As a guy that needs some great excuses and is going to be delusional, I’ve got all sorts of reasons why I’m going to defeat the Olympic gold medalist.
“I was a guy that got my butt whooped by guys like Henry Cejudo, T.J. Dillashaw, Cody Garbrandt, Joseph Benavidez and Chad Mendes, and the list goes on and on when I started wrestling. I started wrestling when I was 13, I didn’t start when I was four, five, six years old with great coaches and competing.”
Faber, 46, hasn’t competed in MMA since December 2019, but has indulged in a number of grappling matches in his years since hanging up the gloves.
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He admits he’s quite fond of Cejudo, 39, and but thinks he will have the edge in size and strength. He doesn’t hold the same pedigree in the sport as the two-division UFC champion, however, he intends to give his best effort.
“I have a lot of respect for Henry,” Faber said. “I love him as a competitor. I love everything about Henry. I love his corky personality. I love how he doesn’t care what people think. I love how he walks to the beat of his own drum and I respect him a lot as a competitor and as a wrestler, but I’m looking to win.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Urijah Faber aims to spoil Henry Cejudo’s wrestling return at RAF 06
