“But the things that I did miss are things like how much you appreciate a day off and a massive meal when you’re starving and sleep at the end of the day when you push yourself to the point of exhaustion,” drawing out the positives as only he can. “It serves as another type of appreciation that you may otherwise not notice, so it’s good to get that perspective coming out of retirement.”
One of the biggest questions that has been raised since this bout with Simon was announced was whether this was a one-off affair because the UFC were returning to Sacramento, if Faber was planning on making a full-time return to the active roster or something in between?
For the time being, the former WEC featherweight champion is taking things one step at a time, focusing on this fight with Simon on Saturday, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t given some thought to what could possibly come next.
“I have four fights on my contract with the UFC and that in itself is something that I thought about, even before I retired, is finishing out those fights,” Faber said regarding his future in the Octagon. “I believe in myself and the process and what I’ve been doing, but getting out there and testing the waters is Step One.
“I’m not opposed to having some big fights in the future and this one is a difficult fight, but not necessarily the biggest fight that could happen as far as name recognition and that type of stuff. There are bigger fights out there and that’s why I stayed in the testing pool —because sometimes those opportunities come up (unexpectedly); there just aren’t that many out there.
“Regardless (of what happens on Saturday), I’ll always continue to keep myself available for a big opportunity. Am I going to get right back in the mix? It’s very possible, but not definite.”
