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Urijah "The California Kid" Faber is the former Featherweight champion of the WEC, and on June 7th on the VERSUS network he is looking to get two things done: get his belt back and beat the man that gave him his first loss in three years, Mike Brown.
Faber is arguably the face of the WEC, putting together an incredible record of 22 wins two losses. Losing is not something that Faber is familiar with, but with a hard work ethic and a hunger to regain the WEC Featherweight belt, it will be a thing of the past.
At WEC 41 on June 7th on the VERSUS network, Urijah Faber will have the fight of his life, and we know his battle to regain the Featherweight belt will be phenomenal.
The WEC
What made you want to get into the sport of fighting?
I didn’t get into too many fights when I was younger, I think I got into like one fight when I was in high school and that was because someone was being rude towards my mom and that was it. I have always been a big fan of combat sports -- ever since I can remember it was something that appealed to me and something that I thought I would be good at.
How did the loss to Brown affect you?
It just made me hungry. I think being competitive my whole life -- a defeat is obviously not something I enjoyed, but it's something that’s a reality in competition so knowing that I made a small mistake, it just made me hungry and eager to get back in there.
In what areas do you think you have advantages over Brown?
As far as overall skill set goes, I’m a little more rounded than he is. I think I’m going to be a little bit faster than he is and a little more creative. My conditioning is always top notch, so that, along with my speed and my creativity are the things that will set me apart.
What have you done differently this time around in preparation for Brown?
I brought in another boxing coach just to get a couple more tricks and worked on strength training for my legs to put on a couple more pounds. Everything else is pretty much the same. I sparred hard and I trained hard, just making sure that I’m in good shape for the fight and ready to go.
Did you ever think of moving up to the UFC to fight in the lightweight division?
Not really, I established myself at 145 pounds in the WEC and they are the top organization for my weight class, but the UFC and WEC are owned by the same people so if they wanted me to move up for some super fights, then I would definitely do it, but for the most part my home is at 145 pounds.
Training
Would you fight BJ Penn in a super fight?
For sure, I’d fight BJ Penn. He’s one of my buddies also but I think we could fight each other.
What about Miguel Torres, this guy hasn't lost a fight since January of 2004. Was a super fight ever discussed between you and him?
Yes, it’s been talked about as well, and I think that’s another great fight for me. I definitely wanna do the fights people wanna see whether it’s up or down in weight class or right where I’m at -- I’ll definitely do it.
Before Brown, your last loss was to Tyson Griffin. Do you ever think of avenging that loss?
I'd love to avenge that loss at some point. He and I are both improving and doing our own things right now but I think before it’s all said and done I believe that’s a fight people would love to see, and I would love to do it again for sure.
Who do you think is one of the best fighters in MMA?
There’s a lot out there, but Fedor Emelianenko, he’s incredibly talented and one of the world’s better fighters out there.
Which fighting styles do you focus on the most when training for an upcoming fight, and why?
I train in Muay Thai, kickboxing, traditional boxing, wrestling, jiujitsu, and a little bit of judo.
Can you describe what you do in one full week of training?
It varies day to day. We have anywhere from two to three practices a day doing a total of 4-6 hours a day of training 5-6 days a week, depending on how my body feels. Two days a week we spar in street boxing, a few days a week we spar in MMA. We do some sort of grappling drilling or live grappling three days a week working with individual trainers while doing it.
How long a break would you take between fights before getting back to your training?
It’s a lifestyle for me because as long as my body is feeling good than I’m always training. Sometimes it’s less intense and other times I’ll be traveling for PR purposes, but when I’m back in my hometown I’m usually in the gym. The gym for me is like being a cigarette smoker -- I just don’t feel good unless I’m doing it.
What kind of diet are you on when training for a fight?
I’m small, so I have to eat lots of calories through out the day -- so I basically eat whatever I can get my hands on. In general I’m pretty healthy, but I need a lot of fat, sodium and pretty much everything that people try to stay away from when trying to lose weight. I eat healthy food, but a lot of it.
You still have a long career ahead of you in MMA, but do you have any plans for the future? Is there something you would like to pursue outside of MMA?
I have a lot of stuff that I pursue outside of MMA, mostly business stuff. I own a couple of gyms, I’m working on a clothing line, there’s a lot that I’m doing besides the fighting, but I always want to be involved with the sport because I love it and it’s what I’m passionate about.
Is there anything that you would like to say in closing?
Thanks for watching me guys; I appreciate all the support, and check out UrijahFaber.com.
Faber is arguably the face of the WEC, putting together an incredible record of 22 wins two losses. Losing is not something that Faber is familiar with, but with a hard work ethic and a hunger to regain the WEC Featherweight belt, it will be a thing of the past.
At WEC 41 on June 7th on the VERSUS network, Urijah Faber will have the fight of his life, and we know his battle to regain the Featherweight belt will be phenomenal.
The WEC
What made you want to get into the sport of fighting?
I didn’t get into too many fights when I was younger, I think I got into like one fight when I was in high school and that was because someone was being rude towards my mom and that was it. I have always been a big fan of combat sports -- ever since I can remember it was something that appealed to me and something that I thought I would be good at.
How did the loss to Brown affect you?
It just made me hungry. I think being competitive my whole life -- a defeat is obviously not something I enjoyed, but it's something that’s a reality in competition so knowing that I made a small mistake, it just made me hungry and eager to get back in there.
In what areas do you think you have advantages over Brown?
As far as overall skill set goes, I’m a little more rounded than he is. I think I’m going to be a little bit faster than he is and a little more creative. My conditioning is always top notch, so that, along with my speed and my creativity are the things that will set me apart.
What have you done differently this time around in preparation for Brown?
I brought in another boxing coach just to get a couple more tricks and worked on strength training for my legs to put on a couple more pounds. Everything else is pretty much the same. I sparred hard and I trained hard, just making sure that I’m in good shape for the fight and ready to go.
Did you ever think of moving up to the UFC to fight in the lightweight division?
Not really, I established myself at 145 pounds in the WEC and they are the top organization for my weight class, but the UFC and WEC are owned by the same people so if they wanted me to move up for some super fights, then I would definitely do it, but for the most part my home is at 145 pounds.
Training
Would you fight BJ Penn in a super fight?
For sure, I’d fight BJ Penn. He’s one of my buddies also but I think we could fight each other.
What about Miguel Torres, this guy hasn't lost a fight since January of 2004. Was a super fight ever discussed between you and him?
Yes, it’s been talked about as well, and I think that’s another great fight for me. I definitely wanna do the fights people wanna see whether it’s up or down in weight class or right where I’m at -- I’ll definitely do it.
Before Brown, your last loss was to Tyson Griffin. Do you ever think of avenging that loss?
I'd love to avenge that loss at some point. He and I are both improving and doing our own things right now but I think before it’s all said and done I believe that’s a fight people would love to see, and I would love to do it again for sure.
Who do you think is one of the best fighters in MMA?
There’s a lot out there, but Fedor Emelianenko, he’s incredibly talented and one of the world’s better fighters out there.
Which fighting styles do you focus on the most when training for an upcoming fight, and why?
I train in Muay Thai, kickboxing, traditional boxing, wrestling, jiujitsu, and a little bit of judo.
Can you describe what you do in one full week of training?
It varies day to day. We have anywhere from two to three practices a day doing a total of 4-6 hours a day of training 5-6 days a week, depending on how my body feels. Two days a week we spar in street boxing, a few days a week we spar in MMA. We do some sort of grappling drilling or live grappling three days a week working with individual trainers while doing it.
How long a break would you take between fights before getting back to your training?
It’s a lifestyle for me because as long as my body is feeling good than I’m always training. Sometimes it’s less intense and other times I’ll be traveling for PR purposes, but when I’m back in my hometown I’m usually in the gym. The gym for me is like being a cigarette smoker -- I just don’t feel good unless I’m doing it.
What kind of diet are you on when training for a fight?
I’m small, so I have to eat lots of calories through out the day -- so I basically eat whatever I can get my hands on. In general I’m pretty healthy, but I need a lot of fat, sodium and pretty much everything that people try to stay away from when trying to lose weight. I eat healthy food, but a lot of it.
You still have a long career ahead of you in MMA, but do you have any plans for the future? Is there something you would like to pursue outside of MMA?
I have a lot of stuff that I pursue outside of MMA, mostly business stuff. I own a couple of gyms, I’m working on a clothing line, there’s a lot that I’m doing besides the fighting, but I always want to be involved with the sport because I love it and it’s what I’m passionate about.
Is there anything that you would like to say in closing?
Thanks for watching me guys; I appreciate all the support, and check out UrijahFaber.com.
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