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TAPuOUTx13 · 02-21-2008, 06:01 PM

JMONEY · 02-23-2008, 11:17 PM

Hey, newjack, lemme show you how to do things right around here

Quote:

Few words in the world of sports convey excellence like the word, “Champ”. When you can add that tagline after three different mixed martial arts organizations, there’s only one word left to describe you…badass. Urijah Faber is the King of the Cage, Gladiator Challenge, and WEC bantamweight champions. He has mowed down the competition with relative ease with only one title defense in four going past the first round. He is innovative and describes his favorite moves as “the one’s he makes up”. He honestly believes that no one can beat him up, and more importantly he has the confidence in himself to not only believe it, but to embrace the bull’s eye that comes with the word, “Champ”. With a record of 20-1 Urijah has beat the hell out of everyone he has faced with the exception of UFC lightweight, Tyson Griffin. Urijah is ready to avenge that loss, but will take it as it comes. He is someone who is admittedly not a planner, but also is smart enough to know that in this sport you need to maintain patience. His next fight will be against former UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver, in a fight that will be one of the most anticipated fights in the WEC to date. The Miletich Fighting Systems' Pulver is coming off of a WEC win against a tough Cub Swanson along with two losses in the UFC against champ BJ Penn and up and coming UFC contender Joe Lauzon. It seems like the next logical step for Urijah who has a tight knit group he hangs with in Sacramento, a gym with around 600 members, and the responsibility of being the major ambassador for the WEC organization. Urijah is ready to fight whoever has earned a shot in any weight class. Whether he is in that weight class or not isn’t an issue for Urijah. He’ll go up a weight class, down a weight class, or you can make up a weight class and he’ll fight you in that one. He backs down from no man. He is the Champ.
Rival Fights had a chance to talk to Urijah Faber about his future both in and out of the cage and when it was all said and done, it’s hard not to really embrace this guy and simply sit back and watch as history is being made.

MARC SIERRA RIVAL FIGHTS: I want to say that you’re my first champ I’ve had got to talk to so I’m probably a little more excited than you are, eh? Why don’t you give me a little back ground on yourself, like what brought you into the world of MMA? I know you came from the wrestling world, but what brought you to MMA?

URIJAH FABER: It’s something I’ve always been a fan of since I could remember and then I really thought I’d be good at it because in my own head I thought I was pretty tough and didn’t really think anyone could beat me up. I kind of went for it. There was a local Indian casino event where one of my buddies was on one of the card there. That was before I graduated college. I said when I graduate college I wanted to do that! I just kind of threw my hat in there and ended up loving it and haven’t really stopped.

MSRF: Where did you start training at? Was it just on your own, did you join a gym, did you get hooked up with someone or how did that come about?

UF: I started out at; well I was coaching at UC Davis, so I was wrestling there and I did some submissions with those guys and stuff. Then I joined Tapia Winner Jiu-Jitsu. He’s a world champion in Sacramento. Then I was just traveling around to all the different gyms in the area learning what I could, sparring guys and stuff like that. I was kind of a nomad, I was traveling all over the place, but my main training was with Tapia Winner.

MSRF: Are you training with anyone we should be on the look-out for or are you pretty much it?

UF: Oh, I’ve got a lot of good guys coming up. Some of my main training partners have been with me for a while and there’re really good and really young. One is Dustin Akbari, he’s twenty years old and he’s been training with me for about four years. Since he was 16 and he’s really good at everything. Joseph Beneditez. He’s 5-0 as a professional and 6-0 as an amateur. He’s a 135 pounder and he’s really good.

MSRF: Do you have any ambitions of maybe someday being a trainer? Is that something that interests you?

UF: Um, possibly, but that’s probably…I mean I own a gym now, and I train guys, but we’ll just have to see. I’m definitely going to be involved in the sport, whether it’s commentating or training.

MSRF: (Laughs) I’m not trying to shorten your fighting career, I’m curious if that’s something that interests you. I mean everybody wants to stay close to it, but you could do so many things, you know?

UF: (Laughs) No, yeah, right? I think it’s definitely a possibility; it just kind of depends on what’s going on in my life. I’m not a big planner…as a fighter I’m pretty relaxed.

MSRF: One of the things I’ve heard you say before is that you’ve been kind of lucky in that you’ve gotten to pretty much do what you want and when you what to do it and kind of at your own pace. Do you feel like that kind of freedom has attributed to your success by not really having to follow a plan? I mean some people might look at not being a planner as being a hindrance. Do you look at that as something attributes to your success?

UF: Yeah, I think it’s not without a thought process. The reason I have that is because I have confidence. A lot of people feel like they have to get a steady job or they have to do this and that because they feel like things are going to fall out from under them if they don’t have something steady to go to, and just having confidence in being able to know that deep down I’ll be alright, even if I’m not making a ton of money or by not working a regular job and stuff is something that I know I have and it’s hard for a lot of people to do. It’s just kind of the blind belief that I’ll be okay no matter what. It’s been pretty good for me.

MSRF: You’ve been labeled somewhat of an ambassador for the WEC. You’re marketable, you seem like a nice guy, you’re popular, and you’re successful both in and out of the cage. Do you feel any pressure personally because of that or is that something you kind of relish and take on with the same attitude that you carry with you into the cage?

UF: You know, I don’t really feel much pressure because of it, but it is a responsibility, I guess in the ways that if I go out and get in trouble it’s frowned upon even more. As far as fighting stand point it doesn’t bother me when I go into fights and stuff because my mentality is that I’m not going to get beat up. I’m not the type of person that’s gets beat up and I’m going to do everything in my power not to make it happen so, I guess, when you think of it like that it doesn’t matter what pressure’s on you that’s just the mentality you have to have.

MSRF: Everything else seems to not be able to get past that point because you don’t even let it enter into your thought process.

UF: Right. I don’t care if I have a broken foot I’m not going to let someone beat me up. I wouldn’t let them do it on the street or in the cage, you know?

MSRF: You’re lone loss comes from Tyson Griffin at the Gladiator Challenge a couple of years ago. Is that a loss that you’re looking to avenge and have you considered moving up to 155 and trying your hand at the UFC, or will they finally have to accept you guys in the lower weight classes as a premier market?

UF: Oh I think we’re going to fine in the WEC. I’m game for whatever. I’d love to avenge that loss somewhere down the road, but I’m just kind of going with the flow right now and even if I have to stay at 145 and do a super fight at 155 or something like that I’d be willing to do it. It’s not something that I think about or it bothers me at night or anything.

MSRF: Don’t get me wrong, I love the WEC, but as it’s become more popular on TV it’s been easier to become more appreciative of it.

UF: Right.

MSRF: Before there was this misconception that it was kind of the “minor leagues” of the UFC, but as it’s become its own entity it seems like it’s just as exciting, if not more exciting, as any of the big bouts in the UFC.

UF: Yeah, I don’t think Zuffa has any intention of making it a feeder program. It’s taken on a life of its own and I think we’re going to continue to increase in popularity and in other sports- and combat sports, the lightweight guys are the big guys. I think it’s going to be that way for mixed martial arts and the WEC is going to be a rival for the UFC if not take over.

MSRF: It’s been rumored that your next title defense will be against former UFC champ, Jens Pulver, is there any truth to that?

UF: Yeah, I believe so. That’s the only word I’ve gotten on a fight, and I think that would be the logical next fight for me. I’m almost positive that’s what it is.

MSRF: What kind of challenges does a guy like Jens pose to you?

UF: I would say he’s definitely the most dangerous guy I’ve fought. He’s a (former) college wrestler, which a lot of people don’t know, he’s a little bit bigger than I am and he’s got huge and dangerous hands and dangerous kicks also. I think I’m going to have an advantage in a lot of ways and I think my disadvantage and things I need to watch out for are the power in his punches, his size a little bit, but I feel my strength is going to be good, my speed, my technique speed is going to be more than his, better than his. It’s going to be a good match-up and if I’m smart and fight a smart fight I can have a good result

MSRF: It’s interesting because I’m from Iowa and Miletich Fighting Systems is right across the street basically, so I’m kind of torn with this because I love watching you fight, but yet Jens is kind of a hometown guy for me, so I’m really curious to see that fight and I am really looking forward to it.

UF: Yeah, I’m looking forward to that too man, I think it’ll be good.

MSRF: Who would you say has been your toughest opponent to date and what were the things did they do to make you say that?

UF: It’s hard to say, man. My loss is a tough one obviously. Some of my early fights were pretty tough. I don’t know in particular any names I can think of, but, just because I wasn’t fighting with a ton of technique at that point. I was a real aggressive fighter and I had good wrestling, and I had good jiu-jitsu defense, and I had a strong right hand. So, some of those fights were more difficult than my recent ones.

MSRF: You recently signed an exclusive deal with No Fear. How did that relationship come about and how does it feel to bring such an iconic clothing line to the world of MMA?

UF: You know, it’s a relationship that just kind of happened because they’ve got their eye on the sport and feel that I’m a rising star and that I could do good for their company.

MSRF: Well it seemed like such an organic fit, you know what I mean? It just seems so natural.

UF: Yeah, yeah, and it’s not only in the clothing line it’s an energy drink which is Pepsi® so my manager’s are incredible at MMA Inc. - Jeff and Mike, and basically we signed a one year deal with Pepsi under the brand No Fear and it’s also a deal with the clothing , so...it’s a sweet deal, man, I’m stoked about it.

MSRF: Congratulations on that, too.

UF: Thanks.

MSRF: What else do you have going on outside the cage that a lot of people might not know about?

UF: I’ve got a lot of stuff, bro, I’ve got my gym Ultimate Fitness Submission Grappling we’ve got about 600 members now, and I spend a lot of time at that. I’ve been traveling for various reason, you know, whether it’s promotions or helping cornering guys or whatever. I’ve got my team of guys that are up and coming that I help train and live with. I’ve got my own little neighborhood out there and out here in Sacramento we’ve got three houses in a row and we’ve got about fifteen fighters there so, yeah it’s pretty cool. (Laughs)

MSRF: (Laughs) Keep it close to home and keep everybody around, that’s cool, man.

UF: Yeah, it’s a cool little thing we got going!

MSRF: You’re the Gladiator Challenge champion, you’re the King of the Cage champion, and the WEC champion, what else is left? What do you have left to do professionally? Is it one of those things where you might start looking at rematches with some of your past opponents or what goals do you have left to accomplish professionally?

UF: You know like I said I’m not a huge planner. I just kind of go with the flow. I could see super fights versus the UFC champ at some point, or even going down to 35. There are some really tough fighters at 35 and I’m actually more of a 135 pound competitor. That’s what I wrestled in college for five years. I just went up because there were no other options for me, so I think there are a lot of fights up a weight, down a weight, at my weight, there’s Kid Yamamoto and whoever else is jumping in the league at 145 so I think there’s going to be a lot of good match-ups there and I’m looking forward to fighting whoever.

MSRF: You know with the growth of the sport it’s kind of a double edge sword. You get so many more people thinking they can do it, yet at the same time, once you sift through all those people there’s actually some people that really can do it. There’s this big explosion of competition coming on. It’s got to be an exciting time for you as a fighter – especially for somebody who likes to fight – it’s got to be exciting for you, right?

UF: Yeah, there are a lot of guys gunning for me. I’d like to give them all a chance.

MSRF: You like having that bull’s eye on your back? (Laughs)

UF: Yeah! I love it… (Laughs)…it’s better than thinking about someone else all the time! It’s funny, you think about it, all these guys gunning for me, it can be intimidating, and then you realize you just have to fight one of ‘em at a time, you know? Like, “oh this guy wants to kick my ass, and this guy wants to”, but what it comes down to is eventually everybody who wants to, if they’ve earned it, we’re gonna stand toe-to-toe and see who’s the boss. I believe that’s me, so it’s a good feeling.

MSRF: I bet, I’d love to say “get in line and we’ll see what happens”, you know? It’s got to be better than standing in line!

UF: (Laughs) Yeah, right?

MSRF: One of the questions I like to ask during these things is if you could play matchmaker and hold any fight in the world who would you like to see?

UF: You know, this Dan Henderson vs. Andersen Silva fight is going to be one that I wanted to see. I know that’s a simple answer because it’s happening, but I really feel like Dan Henderson and Andersen Silva are two of the best fighters on the planet and that’s going to be a great one.

MSRF: I can tell you what the number one response is that I usually get and that Uriah versus Kid!

UF: Yeah! That’s one I’d like to see!

MSRF: I know this is eventually going to happen, but is it something that you’re working towards, or how close are we to actually being able to see that?

UF: You know he went down to 138 now. He’s fighting 138 in K-1. That would be a perfect weight for me, that’d be better than 45. Right now, I’ve gotten sick and lost some weight. I’ve been walking around at about 48. I’ve been trying to put on weight. He and I will most definitely fight before our careers are over, I would think. I just have to wait it out and be patient and same with him, you know?

MSRF: A lot of people say that one thing they learned from the world of MMA is patience. Would you agree that patience is the number one attribute you need besides “baddassedness”?

UF: Being patient is something that is hard to do because the mentality in this sport, especially guys in common with a lot of the guys who are at the top. When they first start, it’s almost like with a chip on their shoulder, like “People aren’t recognizing that I’m the man”, you know? So, you’ve got all these people that have that so patience is definitely something that plays a part in it because it’s easy to get mad and quit, it’s easy to try and fight someone who’s too good too early and prove yourself. The best thing is to get with good managers and train your butt off and see what happens. If you really are the baddest dude on the planet, chances are you’re going to get a chance to prove it because no one’s gonna beat you up.

MSRF: Yeah, it’s not like the baddest dude’s on the planet are secrets. I mean we know who they are.

UF: Right. (Laughs)

Regardless of the path Urijah decides to follow several things are guaranteed, he’s not going to get beat up easily. if at all, he’s going to bust his ass trying to beat you up, and when it’s all said and done there’s a good chance you’re still going to have to address him as “Champ”.

**Warchild** · 02-24-2008, 08:05 AM

Ahhh... you see, the above is much easier on the eyes and more convenient however thank you for the link to the article. Like we didn't already know I was excited hearing it straight from Faber's mouth that Pulver is next, that's going to be a nice one. I love Pulver but I think he'll come out to over zealous and get caught quickly.

hattori hanso · 02-25-2008, 05:08 PM

Yeah, I knew he was fighting Jens, but it was also cool to hear him talk about the challenges he might pose. I think Jens is poised to possibly upset Faber...I mean if there is any possibility of that happening, I wouldn't mind seeing Pulver go all "Lil Evil" on his ass!!

TAPuOUTx13 · 02-25-2008, 08:05 PM

Brilliant! Did you ever think of posting the authors name?

hattori hanso · 02-26-2008, 02:23 PM

it says, "Marc Sierra" with Rival Fights. I was checking out there website, looks like they are relatively new and have some good interviews with former WEC combatant, Joe Pearson, Randy's wife, Kim Couture, Drew McFedries, and Gray Maynard...

No_Mercy · 02-29-2008, 12:47 AM

Did you see that fight where he reversed the rear naked choke hold. Quite impressive! It would make for a great match up against Sean Sherk or BJ Penn even though they fight at 155.

Nikkolai · 02-29-2008, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by No_Mercy

Did you see that fight where he reversed the rear naked choke hold. Quite impressive! It would make for a great match up against Sean Sherk or BJ Penn even though they fight at 155.

Would they allow that here in the United States? I know that Kid has fought against lightweights before and he was at 145lbs.