Former UFC Referee John McCarthy Says Urijah Faber Has Nothing Left To Prove, Should Stop Fighting

Bellator MMA broadcaster and former UFC referee John McCarthy says Urijah Faber should not return in action.

McCarthy, an avid MMA fan, said that Faber is not the fighter who is ready to compete with the best fighters in the world. He said there’s nothing left to prove.

“Stop, just stop. Look, I love Urijah. You had a fantastic career as a fighter,” McCarthy said.
“You’ve been incredible in helping other fighters move up the ranks. Get to places they wanna be, helping them getting them to the big organization. You’ve been a great trainer for guys. You’ve been a person that has helped them in the entire process of understanding the game, learning what to do, learning the techniques, learning how to handle your finances too.

Faber last participated at UFC 245 at the end of 2019. He fought against former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan, and he was trounced; he dominated for two rounds and finished him in the third.

Since Yan claimed the title, Faber has not been in the octagon. Still, fighters continue to call him out.

McCarthy added that if Faber were returning with a chance of becoming a champion, there would be a reason for more fights. But in his view, the veteran can’t beat any of the top bantamweights in the UFC anymore.

The UFC bantamweight division is stacked with fighters like Aljo Sterling, Yan, TJ Dillashaw, Cory Sandhagen and Merab Dvalishvili – to name a few.

“If you were gonna say I’m coming back coz, I can be champ. Ok if that’s the truth, you think you can get there great. Do it. It’s like Jose Aldo, I think there’s a possibility he can be the champion, he can have that kind of fight. He can pull that kind of fight off. Urijah can’t. Urijah can’t beat the people in the top 10,” McCarthy said.

“How many can he beat? He’s not gonna beat Aljamain, he’s not gonna beat Petr, He’s not goon beat T.J. He’s not gonna beat Cory, he won’t beat Rob…Aldo, Marlon Moraes, Frankie Edgar, he’s not gonna beat Edgar, Pedro Munhoz, he’s not gonna beat, Pedro. He’s already proved he can’t beat Dominick Cruz. There is no one. Why do it? There’s just no need for it.”

Faber had opportunities to fight for the UFC gold three times in his career. He had never won the title but still has a decorated career with outstanding performances.

After fighting in the promotion for six years, Faber was already inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2017.

“Love you, Urijah. Stop. You’ve got a family now. There is no reason to fight anymore. What are you fighting for?” McCarthy added.