Issue 120

October 2014

‘The California Kid’ demonstrated he doesn’t need a belt to prove he’s a top dog at 135lb, by mauling and tapping Alex Caceres at UFC 175.

Look up relentless in the dictionary and one day you might find a picture of former WEC featherweight champion and current bantamweight stalwart Urijah Faber staring back at you with that signature grin which could melt butter. 

Don’t let that wide smile fool you though, because behind it is an intense submission machine whose unwavering determination to destroy opponents has not only made him a favorite with MMA fans around the world, but has ensured he’s a perennial contender for the 135lb strap. 

His latest victim was rising star Alex Caceres, a man who was on a five-fight win streak and isn’t afraid to throw up submissions of his own, as he showed in his previous bout when he locked Sergio Pettis in a ‘Submission of the Night’ winning rear naked choke at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Thomson.

Despite Caceres’ grappling prowess, ‘The California Kid’ engaged his opponent as soon as the clock began ticking down, landing big shots on the feet and dragging the TUF 12 alumnus to the floor with trip takedowns. After dominating Caceres throughout the fight, Faber managed to take Caceres’ back and lock in a rear naked choke.

“A lot of my set-ups for submissions are big punches,” Faber explained afterwards. “I’ve been doing that against guys like (Jeff) Curran, (Brian) Bowles, (Jens) Pulver. They were submissions that were all set up by big punches. I’m a guy that looks for the finish.

“I remember in wrestling that I wasn’t a big pinner. In my last year of college, somebody said that it just has to be a mentality. You have to be looking for that pin and I brought that into the fight game.”

Faber’s performance tied Pride legend Kazushi Sakuraba for the most submission finishes in the combined history of the UFC, Strikeforce, Pride and the WEC. Not surprisingly, the statistic got the competitive juices flowing.

Faber finished: “It’s pretty cool, man. Sakuraba is one of my favorite fighters of all time. It’s motivating and makes me want to submit more people. Who’s next?”

That would be Masanori Kanehara in a fight that has been confirmed for the UFC’s September 20 return to Saitama, Japan.