Faber vs Dillashaw possible?
“Probably Renan Barao,” UFC President Dana White said today when asked what’s next for champ Dillashaw. “Renan just fought and won. They would have fought before if he made weight.”
White was speaking with a small group of reporters following Ultimate Media Day in advance of Saturday’s “UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier” event, which takes place at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Dillashaw (11-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC), of course, beat Barao (33-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) this past May to claim the Brazilian’s belt. Barao was granted an immediate rematch at UFC 177, but he failed to make weight and was ruled medically ineligible for the contest. Joe Soto stepped in on one day’s notice but ultimately suffered a fifth-round TKO loss.
In the meantime, Barao picked up a submission win over Mitch Gagnon at this past month’s UFC Fight Night 58 event. While it didn’t initially seem like it was enough of a high-profile win to earn him a return shot at the belt, unfortunate injuries to both Cruz and Assuncao suddenly left Barao in the driver’s seat.
Of course, there does remain one outside possibility: Dillashaw could potentially face Team Alpha Male teammate Urijah Faber (32-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC).
While a rep for the two recently told MMAjunkie the teammates weren’t likely to fight each other anytime soon, White insisted it will always remain a possibility.
“Defintiely,” White said. “They’re definitely open to it.
“When you have a team full of guys that are in the same weight, you’re eventually going to have to fight each other, and they’re all cool with that.”