Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will eliminate one longtime contender from the 135-pound title chase when Urijah Faber heads into hostile territory to face off against Raphael Assuncao in the UFC Fight Night 62 main event, scheduled for March 21, 2015 inside Maracanazinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Globo (via MMA Fighting) reports that verbal agreements are in place for the bantamweight showdown.
Faber (32-7) has yet to lose a non-championship fight inside the Octagon, compiling an 8-3 record since crossing over from World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) in early 2011. Outside of a pair of losses to Renan Barao, as well as a defeat to longtime nemesis Dominick Cruz, "The California Kid" has six finishes in eight of his UFC wins.
But there is one thing he doesn't have.
That's a win over current bantamweight champion (and Alpha Male team mate) TJ Dillashaw, something Assuncao (23-4) was able to secure in late 2013. In fact, the Brazilian has now compiled seven straight wins dating back to UFC 128, and wiping the floor with Faber is about as close as you can get to a guaranteed title shot.
Home field advantage?
In addition to "Faber vs. Assuncao," UFC Fight Night 62 is also expected to feature a lightweight showdown pitting Josh Thomson against undefeated Gilbert Burns.