Urijah Faber is regarded by many to be the first flag-bearer for the lighter weight classes in MMA. Dating back to his time as champion with the WEC through his time with the UFC, Faber is one of the people who brought the lighter weight classes into the spotlight. When the WEC merged with the UFC, Faber was at the front of the line for the bantamweight division.
He had some classic battles with Jens Pulver in the WEC but in both the WEC and UFC his fights against Dominick Cruz were some of the best that the division has ever seen. The pair battled in three different fights with Cruz coming out on top in the rubber match.
Despite Faber never winning the bantamweight title in the UFC, his work as a pioneer for the division goes without argument. He is being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 6th as the youngest fighter to ever receive the honor. He retired from the sport in December after defeating Brad Pickett by unanimous decision in his hometown of Sacramento at UFC on FOX 22.
“The California Kid” ended his career at 34-10 after the victory over Pickett. Over his 13-year career as a professional fighter, he racked up wins over Pulver, Cruz, Bibiano Fernandes and Brian Bowles. He easily became one of the most popular fighters ever under 155 pounds.
He will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame class of 2017 alongside fellow pioneer fighters Maurice Smith, Kazushi Sakuraba and long-time matchmaker Joe Silva.
The following sit-down interview comes from Kendrick Johnson. Faber talks about the Hall of Fame, the positives of the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight, the success of Team Alpha Male and the low odds of him returning to the Octagon for one more fight. and his thoughts on the future of UFC.
