Urijah Faber UFC TUF 22 (Photo : Photo: The Sun)
On the heels of UFC Bantamweight Champion, TJ Dillashaw, leaving Team Alpha Male to seek greener pastures with the Elevation Fight Team, it's probably safe to say that Urijah Faber is pissed at the whole development.
But majority of this hatred is not directed toward Dillashaw, Faber is rather annoyed at the whole recruitment process of the Colorado based mixed martial arts team.
"I come to find out later there's a guy Leister or something like that," Faber said referring to Elevation's head coach Leister Bowling. "He's a recruiter or wrestling coach or something like that who has been talking to Cody [Garbrandt] and trying to get Cody to come out."
He followed: "Basically, trying to chicken hawk guys and apparently there's an article where he said something like, 'I had a heart-to-heart with TJ,' granted, he's worked with him half of one camp."
Faber must have read or heard this from Bowling who advised the UFC bantamweight champ to "pick one camp" and not split time between Faber's and Duane Ludwig's.
A typical MMA fight camp sure is hard in its entirety, let alone travelling from state to another just to get the best possible training, and the move to Colorado really made sense for Dillashaw.
Though no doors are officially closed as of the moment, Urijah Faber just lets bygones be bygones and looks forward to what's ahead.
"He (Dillashaw) said he wants to come back and be a part of our team, but he made a big boy decision," the former WEC champion claimed. "He walked away from the family that brought him up, the guys who were a big part of his success."
Faber continued: "If he wants to be friends, I have no problem being friends and told him that. Honestly, TJ came over to my house. We sat down for an hour, I showed him my house, we hung out, reminisced."
Of course, the two will still be attending Team Alpha Male's Joseph Benavidez's wedding this weekend.
In spite of everything that's happened over the past few months, Urijah Faber cherishes the foundation of their relationship and even shares a common enemy with the champ.
"Friendship is a different thing and that's through actions," he stated. "You earn that over time and I would say that TJ is my friend. I hope he beats the [expletive] out of Dominick Cruz because I don't like Dominick Cruz."
TJ Dillashaw is set to defend his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz on January 17, 2016 in Boston for UFC Fight Night 81.
On the other hand, Urijah Faber is coaching Team USA on the ongoing season of The Ultimate Fighter, and will face Frankie Saenz on December 12 at UFC 194.
