Urijah Faber: I accepted McGregor fight before UFC went with Diaz
Quite a few fighters were clamoring to face Conor McGregor at UFC 196 after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out, and Urijah Faber says he was offered the fight first — and accepted it — before Nate Diaz was named the replacement.
"Dana (White) called me and offered me the fight," Faber told Yahoo Sports. "He said I was who he is pushing for. I accepted (but) Conor ended up wanting Diaz. I was ready. Lean at 158 (pounds)."
Sources confirmed to FOX Sports that an offer had been made to Faber to face McGregor at UFC 196.
Faber coached opposite McGregor on the most recent season of "The Ultimate Fighter" but they didn't face off after the show wrapped like most competitors on the series.
Both Faber and McGregor talked about fighting several times during the course of filming, but the UFC never opted to put the matchup together.
White confirmed that Faber's name was on a short list of potential opponents, and that McGregor wanted Diaz.
"Urijah Faber was on the list, Anthony Pettis, 'Cowboy' Cerrone — but at the end of the day, Nate and Conor really want to fight," White said Thursday.
