Caraway explains why he turned down Faber fight; hopes to face Lineker next

Bryan Caraway admits he didn't accept a proposed bout with former WEC featherweight kingpin Urijah Faber, but it had nothing to do with not wanting the fight.

According to Caraway, the offer he received from the UFC came right on the heels of his win over Eddie Wineland in July, and he needed some time to heal his cracked ribs before making a decision. Couple that with a potential upcoming family reunion, and Caraway wasn't willing to commit to a specific date.

"They’re like, 'We need to know,' and I was like, 'I can’t tell you that far out,'" Caraway told MMAjunkie.com. "I'd just fought, and I’m trying to chill out and figure out what I'm going to do.

"They kept pushing me, and they're like, 'This is the date. We need you to do this right now.' I told them I can’t do it. I have a family reunion that's happening around that time, the first ever in my family. They said, 'Are you in or you out?' I said, 'I'm out, then.' If I’m going to get pushed to immediately answer five months out, I couldn't give them an answer. I understand their side. They needed to know right away for promoting."

Although it doesn't appear Faber is in his immediate future, Caraway has shifted his focus toward brick-fisted John Lineker, who returned to the bantamweight division with a thrilling submission victory over Francisco Rivera at UFC 191.

"I really want the Lineker fight," Caraway said. "He's a tough guy. I'm buddies with Francisco Rivera; that was an awesome fight (between Lineker and Rivera at UFC 191). He beat Francisco, so I kind of want to get in there and mix it up with him."