Urijah Faber Wants to Earn His Way Back to Contender Status; Hopes to Fight by Year’s End

UFC 149 didn’t end the way Urijah Faber was hoping it would… with the UFC bantamweight title wrapped around his waist.

Faber lost a unanimous decision to current interim titleholder Reñan Barao, but he’s not one to sit around and wait for things to happen, so he wants to get back in action no later than the end of the year if possible.

“You’re going to see Urijah fight probably by the end of the year,” Faber’s manager, Mike Roberts, told MMAWeekly Radio. “He’d like to compete one more time (this year) and earn his way back to the top.”

The best way to earn his way back into title contention would be to face another top bantamweight on one of the cards still being scheduled in December.

Longterm, Faber wants to get another crack at the 135-pound belt, but he also has a standing grudge match with UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz that still needs to be settled at some point.

While there is still interest in that fight from fans and UFC officials, alike, Roberts knows that Faber will have to work hard to get another shot at Cruz.

“Now, they’re a ways away from putting that fight together, but Urijah’s going to do his best to get right back to the top,” Roberts said about a potential Faber vs. Cruz trilogy fight.

Many of the top ten bantamweights are currently locked up for fights, but Faber will surely grab the best possible fight to get him back in contention as 2012 ends and 2013 begins.

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