If you're going to try to pick the winner of Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber, who once again battle for the 135-pound belt this Saturday night (Feb. 1, 2014) in Newark, New Jersey, then who better to ask than a man who has been able to fight them both?
Eddie Wineland.
The inaugural WEC bantamweight champion was unable to seal the deal against either fighter; however, got a taste of what both competitors have to offer inside the cage, telling reporters at the UFC on FOX 10 post-fight press conference (replay here) that he's favoring "The California Kid" in this weekend's rematch.
"I think it's going to be a really good fight. Urijah's on a tear. He's getting older, but he's getting better. His last couple of fights he's looked like a monster. Not taking anything away from Renan, I like both guys, but I'm gonna pick Urijah on that one. He's been tearing things up. He looks really good."
Interesting ...
Wineland may end up with the hat trick if he's selected to be the man who welcomes Dominick Cruz back to the Octagon. "The Dominator" was forced to relinquish his title after suffering yet another injury (details), while the Texan is coming off a huge knockout win over Yves Jabouin (watch it).
On fighting Cruz:
"Absolutely. I'll take any fight. I'm like 'Cowboy,' I like to fight. Put somebody in front of me. Preferably, I'd like to have somebody with a number, but at the end of the day, a fight is a fight. And if I'm fighting, I'm happy."
Fun fight.
When and where Cruz makes his return is unknown at this time, but will likely take place in the vicinity of the the promotion's annual Fourth of July Weekend event.
You like this potential match up?