[autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] knows a thing or two about self-promotion. “The California Kid” became the breakout star of the WEC in the days before social media really took off by saying yes to just about every possible media opportunity presented to him and getting his name out to the public.
So, when the former WEC featherweight champ sees the success other lighter-weight fighters have enjoyed in the current era, he can’t help but be glad to see what they’ve accomplished – even if it’s someone who has mastered the art of cringe, like [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag].
“Henry, he’s what everybody is doing,” Faber recently told MMA Junkie. “Taking a little bit of what is real about him and just blowing it up a bit.”
The way Faber sees it, the Olympic wrestling gold medalist, current UFC bantamweight champion and former flyweight titleholder isn’t doing anything all that different to what Nick and Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor have done with great success.
“I think the Diaz brothers are real, that’s why people love them,” Faber said. “You know what you’re going to get. They ham it up a little bit, they step it up a notch. Nate is a pretty calculated guy and Nick too, man. Those guys know what they’re doing. Conor also, he’s real, that’s really how he really is, he steps it up a notch and lays it on.
“Henry really is a little cringy, I’ll be honest. He says some stuff that is a little goofy. But at the end of the day, he is one of the best athletes out there, one of the best martial artists, one of the best wrestlers in the world, period. Nothing but respect there. Keep doing your thing, Henry. He’s just trying to stay in the relevance and making a buck and have fun. I’m sure he’s having a good time, man. He’s a world champ.”
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That said, if Cejudo, who is scheduled to defend his title against former featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 250, continues on his path of picking unconventional opponents, Faber isn’t about to say no.
“I would never rule out a fight with him by any shape or form, because he’s the champ, double champ,” Faber said. “And I like that he brought some attention to the 125-pound weight class. I kinda wish he would have stuck around and helped rebuild that weight class. I love that weight class, there’s a lot of friends and people I respect in that weight class.’
While Aldo will fight Cejudo coming off a loss, Faber isn’t sure it is an easy fight for Cejudo, as he noted Aldo’s performance in a pair of victories over Faber’s teammate, Chad Mendes.
“Chad Mendes I would say is a similar type of caliber wrestler as Henry Cejudo, even more explosive and strong,” Faber said. “Aldo is really good at avoiding takedowns so I think it is going to come down to a standup battle, and I think Aldo is the better standup guy for sure. I think Henry Cejudo has a little more momentum and confidence built up because he hasn’t taken those L’s like Aldo has over the years and he’s a little bit younger. But I think probably Aldo would have little bit of the edge on him.”
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