Will this be the night people finally understand how good Petr Yan is?
Let’s say this for Faber (35-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC): He isn’t messing around in his return from retirement. Unlike Tito Ortiz fighting pro wrestlers, or B.J. Penn’s saga which has gone from sad to pathetic, this particular UFC Hall of Famer is accepting opponents which, if he wins, will actually put him back in the conversation for a UFC bantamweight tile shot.
The problem here is, on Saturday night, Faber could end up using his name to make someone else’s. Yan (13-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) has left a trail of broken dreams in his path, winning all five of his UFC fights in a variety of fashions. In his last two bouts, he’s taken out a pair of legit names in John Dodson and Jimmie Rivera.
But he’s never fought someone with Faber’s name recognition, and never in a spotlight as intense as UFC 245. We’re not writing off Faber by any means, because that’s when he tends to be at his best. But he’s going to need to be at his best against an opponent who is exactly one impressive one over one big name away from vaulting into the elite mix in his division once and for all.
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