Urijah Faber (23-3-0) is half man and half machine. Urijah the man is who walked into the cage last June to face Mike Brown. Brown was the first to snap the thirteen-win streak of Faber’s at the end of 2008, also taking the Featherweight belt from around Urijah’s waist.
In what was a very grueling back and forth rematch between the two men, and although Brown handed Faber his second loss in the WEC, it was Urijah the machine that left the cage that night. Faber suffered two broken hands during the fight. The first hand broke during the first round as the other broke in the second round. A man does not fight with two broken hands for 20 minutes, a machine does. “The way I approach a fight is like the real world to me,” said Faber. “If I was down a hand in a street fight, I wouldn’t stop or run. There is no quit in me.”
Faber will bring that same attitude as he has his biggest test to date on Saturday April 24th as he challenges current Featherweight champion Jose Aldo (16-1-0) at WEC: Aldo vs. Faber. This is also the first time the WEC will try its hand at Pay-Per-View as they usually are on the Versus network. Jose Aldo has quickly gained notoriety in the Featherweight division for his intensity and quickness when finishing opponents.
Most took notice of his 8-second win over Cub Swanson from a double flying knee attack and his most recent dominating win over Mike Brown in November of 2009 securing his place at the top. “He’s very dangerous,” explained Faber. “But, I’m extremely fast and explosive as well and also the better wrestler.”
If you have seen pictures or videos of Faber’s fights and then looked at his attitude and personality outside the cage, it is almost night and day. Never without a smile, Faber resembles more of a surfer than a fighter and his tone when speaking could not be more laid back. “I just be myself and surround myself with all my same friends and family.” said Faber. “I’m not a meathead kind of guy and in this sport it’s easy to get knocked back down to reality.”
Faber has also been very busy outside the cage this past year as he started his own clothing line, Form Athletics. When asked why he wanted to get into the fashion side of MMA, Faber expressed how he wanted to get away from all the skull and bones that are everywhere now on shirts and put out a more skater type of clothing line.
You may have also noticed that Faber no longer wears No Fear gear as he picked up Amp Energy as one of his new major sponsors. When asked if he is the type of fighter that likes to camp hop before his upcoming fights, Urijah made it very clear about where he likes to reside for training. “I don’t mind going to other camps and working out with them, but when it really comes down to the nitty-gritty of training, I’ve got the perfect set up at Ultimate Fitness.,” explained Faber. “With my team of guys, Team Alpha Male, I’ve got the perfect mix of strikers and grapplers.”
With his upcoming fight against Aldo in his hometown of Sacremento, the energy is always through the roof when “California Love” starts blaring out of the speakers and The California Kid makes his way to the cage. “I’m the type of fighter that’s always going for the kill and trying to end fights,” said Faber. “Having a matchup like this is a dream for me and I know its going to be exciting and wild and that’s how I like it.”
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