TJ Dillashaw weighs-in on Urijah Faber’s upcoming retirement

In just over a week, MMA veteran Urijah Faber will step into the Octagon for the final time as he squares off against Brad ‘One Punch’ Pickett in front of his hometown crowd in Sacramento, California.

For Faber, the fight will mark the end of a historic 13 year professional MMA career that saw ‘The California Kid’ fight some of the top names in the sport, including Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, and Frankie Edgar, to name just a few. While the former WEC champ was never able to capture UFC gold, the impact Faber made on the sport is undeniable.

Ahead of his UFC 207 scrap with John Lineker, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw spoke on The MMA Hour to weigh-in on the retirement of the man who mentored him throughout the better portion of his MMA career until a bitter fallout resulted in him being banner from Team Alpha male:

“I have a lot of mixed emotions. It’s super unfortunate the way this has all gone down, and I feel like really immature on his part, the way that he’s tried to bash me. I thought at first it was just for him to get a title shot, and I really hope one day that he’ll be able to come to me and say that that’s what he was doing.

Dillashaw was banned from Team Alpha Male when he informed his teammates that he would be training at Ludwig Martial Arts in Colorado under Duane Ludwig.

“That’s so crazy and it’s such high school drama. But what it comes down to, when it’s all done and said, we do have a past, we do have a history, and with him retiring, he’s done wonders for this sport as well. You hope he goes out on a good note.”

He continued:

“Even though the guy has really pissed me off, and I’ve had, and still do, a lot of unpleasant hate for the guy, for the way he acted, … (when it’s) all done and said, I don’t wish anything bad on the guy,” Dillashaw said.

“I do believe it’s time for him to retire. He’s actually, I feel like, declined in his skills rather than getting better, and you need people around you telling you, ‘alright man, it’s time. You’ve done a good job, it’s time for you to hang it up. You’ve got some fighters coming into the gym, that are some new guys, who are kind of beating up on you. It’s time to call it quits.’ So hopefully he comes out and looks good and he does it in Sacramento. He always is amped up when he fights there. He’s, by far, a town favorite. He’s a fan favorite. So hopefully he can make a good showing.”