Urijah Faber has been one of the biggest lighter-weight stars in the sport of MMA for the best part of a decade now, and is showing no signs that he intends to step out of the spotlight any time soon.
The former WEC 145lb champ will challenge Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight title in the pair’s third fight this weekend at UFC 199.
“I’m not tired of people talking about anything, I enjoy people talking about me,” Faber told FO back in late 2013 regarding his rivalry with Cruz. “Good, bad or whatever they want to say. That’s a fight people are going to be talking about until it happens so I’m excited about that one.”
“I feel like I’m the strongest fighter out there mentally, and in the bantamweight division for sure,” he added. “When the going gets tough there is zero break in me, and so I’m not going to make a mistake because I’m fatigued.”
Despite being 37 years old, ‘The California Kid’ is still one of the top fighters in his division. But he has overcome adversity to once again put himself in the position of a title shot.
In 2012, Faber fought only once as the majority of his year was spent filming The Ultimate Fighter along with Cruz. He was scheduled to face Cruz for a third time after the series finale but Cruz was forced out with injury and replaced by Renan Barao. Faber lost to Barao via unanimous decision.
“I had it pretty rough in 2012,” said Faber. “Not only was it pretty rough for me in terms of being a fighter, but my parents were also having some troubles. There were all sorts of things going on… It was a slow year but opportunities came in 2013 and I’ve taken them and made sure to capitalize on them.”
