Urijah Faber

One of the most dynamic fighters to ever compete in the UFC is Urijah Faber. When people think of his name, speed and athleticism automatically come to mind. His career in mixed martial arts has been quite impressive, and he doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Not only has he been champion for many years, he has many successful businesses that he runs daily. Faber is multi-talented and is a true ambassador to the sport of mixed martial arts and life in general.

Early Childhood and Career

Faber was born on May 14, 1979 in Isla Vista, California and would attend Lincoln High School as a teenager. After graduating high school, he attended the University of California Davis, where he would get his bachelors degree in Human Development. Wrestling has always been a part of Faber’s early life, giving him the tools to succeed as a mixed martial artist.

Soon after college, Faber went on to participate in his first ever mixed martial arts competition under the Gladiator Challenge promotion back in 2003. He would win the bout against Jay Valencia via guillotine choke, which is one of his best moves even today in his UFC career. Faber would then go on to defeat George Adkins, granting him a shot at the GC bantamweight championship against David Velasquez. Faber would go on to defeat Velazquez, becoming the new bantamweight champion.

After competing a few more times under the Gladiator Challenge, Faber would transition to the King Of The Cage promotion. Faber would go on to defeat Eben Kaneshiro via strikes to become the new KOTC bantamweight champion. This just shows the kind of championship caliber fighter that Faber is: despite having relatively few fights under his belt, he can still be a major contender, and hold two championship belts simultaneously.

Urijah’s WEC Career

A highlight of Faber’s career was competing under the WEC promotion. Back in the early days of mixed martial arts, the UFC didn’t have weight classes for fighters under 155 pounds. For this reason, the WEC existed. This promotion gave lighter weight fighters an outlet to compete and make a living as a professional fighter. Urijah Faber’s first fight under this promotion was against Cole Escovdeo, where Faber was able to win via doctor’s stoppage back in 2006. With the win, Faber became the new featherweight champion of the world.

Faber would go on to defend his featherweight belt a total of five times, beating top fighters such as Dominick Cruz, Jeff Curan, and Jens Pulver. In 2008, Faber would lose his belt to Mike Brown, where Brown was able to land a vicious shot while Faber was throwing a spinning back fist. The move left him susceptible to a counter, which is exactly what Brown capitalized on. In the rematch, Faber would break both of his hands, limiting his offense and Brown was able to retain the title.

Another top fighter that Faber would face under the WEC banner was Jose Aldo, who is currently the featherweight champion in the UFC. Aldo displayed some brutal leg kicks against Faber in their bout, but Urijah never quit despite taking some vicious shots. After his bouts in the featherweight division, Faber would drop down to the bantamweight division.

UFC Career

In Faber’s UFC debut, he would challenge the always dangerous Eddie Wineland. Faber would take down Wineland on several occasions and land some crisp combinations, earning a unanimous decision that certainly revitalized his mixed martial arts career. Urijah would then challenge Dominick Cruz again, but this time it was for the bantamweight championship. The bout was extremely close, where both fighters were able to land some shots on the feet and also get some needed take downs. The judges ultimately sided with Cruz.

After this tough defeat, Faber would bounce back in a big way, defeating Bryan Bowles with his patented guillotine. It was a much needed win for Faber, granting him an interim title fight with Renan Barao. Barao has proven to be a dominate force in the division. In their championship bout, Renan was also able to have success against Faber in terms of the leg kicks.

Even though Faber lost, he still remains one of the best fighters in the UFC’s bantamweight division. This was very clear when he faced Ivan Menjivar for the second time on February 23, 2013. Faber was able to lock up a rear-naked choke, proving he still has what it takes to compete with the very best of them. Whomever Urijah’s next opponent will be inside the octagon you can bet it will be an absolute war.

MMA Accomplishments

Faber is one of the most marketable and dynamic fighters in the UFC’s lighter weight classes. The WEC’s popularity can be attributed to Urijah Faber as he always brings the action when he steps inside the cage. He had the most successful title defenses in the WEC Featherweight division with five, and the most consecutive title defenses in the WEC with five. Upon arriving in the UFC, he has won Fight of the Night and Submission of the Night honors and will be looking for more before he hangs up the gloves.

Fighting Style

Urijah Faber is one of the fastest, most athletic guys in the UFC’s bantamweight division. He likes to use dynamic kicks and punches when standing on the feet. When the fight hits the mat, he is just as dangerous and has numerous submission wins with his guillotine. It’s one of his signature moves, along with his other training partners at the Team Alpha Male gym. When it comes to a complete MMA fighter, Urijah Faber is second to none.

What is Urijah Doing Lately?

Urijah Faber is currently training for an epic Super Fight against Frankie Edgar. The two legends of MMA clash in the UFC’s first ever event in the Philippines Saturday May 16th!