Unlike his July return, the second stop on the [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] comeback tour wasn’t a success.
In Saturday night’s UFC 245 main-card opener, Faber (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) was head kicked and finished by top bantamweight contender [autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] at 0:43 of Round 3.
From the opening bell, Yan (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) landed early and often. His boxing and knees were his most successful weapons. In the second round, Yan dropped Faber with a beautiful combination which cracked open the head of “The California Kid.”
The former WEC featherweight champion somehow survived, but his face was worse for the wear. Sporting a large mouse under his left eye, Faber was examined by the cage-side physician upon a timeout by referee Keith Peterson.
Faber lived to see another round, but the third wouldn’t be as kind. In the opening minute of the third, Yan cracked Faber with a vicious left high kick. The shot sent Faber toppling to the mat. No follow-up shots were needed, as referee Peterson waved off the bout.
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On the microphone after the fight, Yan called for a title shot at “Triple Clown” Henry Cejudo, who holds the bantamweight and flyweight belts. Yan’s nickname poked fun at Cejudo’s “Triple Champ” moniker.
Calling his shot! 👀@PetrYanUFC wants Triple C for the gold next! 🏆 #UFC245 pic.twitter.com/QxhZDeSQV4
— UFC (@ufc) December 15, 2019
With the victory, Yan has now won nine straight and remains undefeated under the UFC’s banner. Faber is the third straight UFC-ranked opponent Yan has beaten, joining John Dodson and Jimmie Rivera.
As for Faber, the loss snaps a two-fight win streak and is his first defeat since he returned from retirement in July.
The bantamweight bout opened up the UFC 245 main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 245 results include:
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Petr Yan def. Urijah Faber via knockout (high kick) – Round 3, 0:43
- Geoff Neal vs. Mike Perry via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 1:30
- Irene Aldana def. Ketlen Vieira via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 4:51
- Omari Akhmedov def. Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Matt Brown def. Ben Saunders via knockout (strikes) – Round 2, 4:55
- Chase Hooper def. Daniel Teymur via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:34
- Brandon Moreno def. Kai Kara-France via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Jessica Eye def. Viviane Araujo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Punahele Soriano def. Oskar Piechota via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:17
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