Faber: McGregor was right about Dillashaw
Speaking on The Alpha Male Podcast, Faber and other guests receive a phone call from someone pretending to be Dillashaw, which appears to irritate Faber, who talks about McGregor’s near fight with Garbrant, who had defended Dillashaw at the time.
Conor and I, we’d have a good banter back and forth. But we would have conversations, actual conversations all the time. So we’re standing in the gateway to go out to the fights, and that’s where they’d always put us together. He’s like ‘congratulations, we all watched T.J’s fight at the house, he’s so entertaining’. And then Dwayne does this interview saying no one on Team Alpha Male wants to be a champion, the only one who wants to be a champion is T.J. Dillashaw. So Conor — who understands about loyalty and things like that — goes ‘what’s up with Dwayne?’ … he got that little inkling that it was a sore subject and he just [rip at it]. So when T.J. got there, [McGregor] was all prepared just to needle him. Conor saw that little inkling and just ripped at it, and happened to be right.
Faber: ‘Stay away from boxing, Conor’
I want the fights that matter, and I don’t know what that timetable is, but I’ve told the UFC brass I want big fights – fights that are going to put money in their pockets, money in my pockets, and staple me as one of the best of all-time.
I actually like Conor. He’s got a mouth on him, I love talking back and forth with him. He’s got some wit about him, he’s got a weakness for Northern California fighters [Nate Diaz] and he’s got a weakness in his submission game, we know that. But he’s a powerful dude…[But] stay away from boxing, Conor. Not that he can’t do great over there, but this is a sport he loves, this is a sport he’s been training for.
Faber wants McGregor fight
In response to a comment by Faber’s teammate, Cody Garbrandt, that Faber could envisage the 36-year-old walking away from the sport in the event of a bantamweight title-victory over Dominick Cruz, Faber says that instead he wants to go out by fighting McGregor.
I’m not sure you are interpreting that right from Cody or not. I mean I know that he did say it would be a picture-perfect way for me to go out, but what I would like to do is beat Cruz and then fight Conor at 145[lbs]…You never know in this sport. I actually like Conor. You know, we got into it on the show, about he wanted to fight me and I wanted to fight him in Ireland. Then Dana said ‘you guys will never fight’. Then Dana called me and said ‘you know what, I told you that you would never fight but this is your opportunity. We want to give this to you’ blah, blah, blah. And I said ‘let’s do it’. But then I got a call from Dana saying that Conor wanted to fight Nate. So is it foreseeable? For sure.
McGregor-Garbrandt fight
McGregor criticizes TJ Dillashaw (who is not present) on the show The Ultimate Fighters, telling Faber that he is only in it for himself. Garbrandt gets up and starts to push him. The two fighters are held back by the rest of the group. McGregor:
Loyalty’s a strong thing for me, and I respect loyalty a lot. But I absolutely despise people who are disloyal. People who bite the hand that feeds them. I cannot relate to that in any sway, shape or form. I certainly feel TJ is a little snake in the grass. Hes in here for his own benefit. I simply told that to him and I mean the truth can hurt.
McGregor, Faber tussle
McGregor and Faber tussle in the corridor at UFC189. McGregor:
I could have thrown him on his head right there and then, nothing happened.