Crunch Time
This last weekend, mixed martial arts fans watched one of the sports great fighters compete in his last bout and ride off into the sunset.
At the Dec. 17 UFC event in Sacramento, Calif., “The California Kid” Urijah Faber, 37, defeated English competitor Brad Pickett via decision in his last official fight. Faber finished his mixed martial arts career with a 34-10 record.
It was a fitting end for Faber, who beat Pickett in his hometown. The fans roared from the moment he walked to the octagon to Tupac Shakur’s “California Love” until after his hand was raised by referee John McCarthy.
Most fighters in combat sports tend to lose their last bout. Boxer Bernard Hopkins, who had his last fight on the same evening as Faber, was knocked out by Joe Smith Jr. in the eighth round of their bout, marking the first time Hopkins had been stopped in his 28-year career.
Faber’s decision to retire is not because of health issues or a declining skill set. In an interview with MMA Junkie, he said he felt “it was time” to retire and did not want to be an athlete who competed until his body couldn’t take it anymore.
Faber, who wrestled at the University of California-Davis, began his mixed martial arts career in 2003, back when it was still seen as a fringe sport. At the time, many major media outlets shunned MMA, calling it “human cockfighting.”
Faber’s early success came from fighting regional promotions such as King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge — successfully winning those organizations’ bantamweight (135 pounds) championships. His big break came in 2006 when he won the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight (145) title from Cole Escovedo.
Faber later became one of the top stars of the WEC, which ran shows out of casinos before it was picked up by the Versus Channel. The UFC later purchased WEC and allowed it to run as an organization that featured smaller weight classes. Faber continued to be the organization’s poster boy and headlined its first and only pay per view against then-champion Jose Aldo in 2010.
Faber’s bread and butter in the cage was his grappling, which netted him 19 submission victories throughout his career. He was also durable, having only been stopped three times in his career and was never submitted.
He fought at the top of the divisions he competed in for his entire career, but there was one accolade that eluded him — a UFC championship belt.
In a sport where top fighters like Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey have big egos, Faber was a ground and humble guy. One of the things I remember about him was in 2011, when he cut his hair — a trademark of his — in a show of support to his sister, who was in a car accident.
I actually had the opportunity to meet Faber in 2012 at a local MMA event held at Northern Quest Resort and Casino. I shook his hand and told him I enjoyed reading his autobiography and his eyes lit up and he thanked me for the compliment. It was cool seeing an MMA star like Faber, get excited from a stranger’s praise.
After his fight with Pickett, he buried the hatchet with current UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. The two had a rivalry dating back to 2007 and fought each other three times, with Cruz winning two of those bouts. Faber later came onto the UFC on Fox post-fight broadcast and shook Cruz’s hand.
Critics would argue that Faber not winning a UFC belt does not guarantee him a spot in the organization’s Hall of Fame. But he leaves behind a bigger legacy than championships as he was responsible for paving the way for smaller fighters to compete on a large stage and become mainstream stars like their heavier contemporaries. In most combat sports, the star power and attention is focused in the heavier weight classes and smaller fighters — aside from boxing greats like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather — tend to get overlooked. The UFC didn’t really have an interest in lighter weight classes until guys like Faber showed them what they could do.
So I raise my glass to Faber and wish him the best in the future, wherever that road takes him.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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