Manager claims Urijah Faber has re-retired after turning down Petr Yan fight

By Cole Shelton - September 24, 2019

It appears that Urijah Faber has once again decided to hang up the gloves.

Urijah Faber, UFC Sacramento

The UFC Hall of Famer ended his two-and-a-half-year retirement in July when he returned at UFC Sacramento and TKO’d Ricky Simon. Following the win, Urijah Faber wanted something big and called for a title shot against Henry Cejudo. However, that never came to fruition and he was offered a fight against a surging contender in Petr Yan.

But, according to Yan’s manager in Daniel Rubenstein, Urijah Faber has re-retired after turning down the fight.

“Petr’s already accepted a fight vs Faber, but Faber is apparently re-retired. If Frankie wants to fight in Vegas Dec 14, would be Petr’s honor to fight a legend like him. Wish @funkmasterMMA a speedy recovery,” Rubenstein wrote on Twitter.

He was then asked by Ariel Helwani when Urijah Faber decided to retire once again.

“since he was offered a fight vs. Petr Yan,” the manager wrote.

Petr Yan is currently ranked fourth in the bantamweight division. The Russian is 13-1 as a pro including being 5-0 in the UFC. In his last fight at UFC 238, he beat Jimmie Rivera which showed he is a top contender at 135-pounds. He also holds wins over John Dodson and Teruto Ishihara.

Yan has been calling for a fight with Aljamain Sterling for the interim bantamweight title with Henry Cejudo sidelined.

Urijah Faber, meanwhile, has yet to comment if he has indeed re-retired from MMA. Ahead of his return, he wouldn’t say if this was going to be a one-fight return or will fight multiple times and stay active.

But, if Daniel Rubenstein is correct, it was a one-off fight for Urijah Faber. So ‘The California Kid’ will go back to coaching at Team Alpha Male and being a father.

What do you make of Urijah Faber reportedly re-retiring from the UFC after declining to fight Petr Yan? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 9/24/2019. 


Topics:

Petr Yan UFC Urijah Faber