411 MMA Interviews: Urijah Faber
Posted by Jeffrey Harris on 03.18.2010
Former WEC Featherweight Champion, The California Kid Urijah Faber, sat down with 411 to discuss his upcoming title bout against Jose Aldo at WEC 48, the WEC moving to PPV, why Jose Aldo deserves the praise he gets, fighting with a broken hand, his new clothing line and much more!
On April 24, WEC will be going back to the ARCO Arena in Sacramento for their first ever PPV event. Headlining the card and making his highly anticipated and long-awaited PPV debut will be the one and only California Kid, Urijah Faber (23-3, MMA; 8-2, WEC). Faber will be looking to reclaim his WEC Featherweight Championship against the current reigning and defending champion, Jose Aldo, Jr. (16-1, MMA; 6-0, WEC) in what currently looks to be one of the biggest and most impressive looking title bouts of the year. Earlier this week, 411mania got the chance to speak with Urijah for an exclusive interview to talk about this epic title fight:
Jeffrey Harris: I think this is without hyperbole the biggest fight of your career and in my opinion one of your toughest match-ups ever. What do you think of Jose Aldo?
Urijah Faber: He is tough. He's very tough. He's got dangerous standup so – being a black belt on the ground also, he's definitely comfortable down there so I think he's a good match-up with me though. I think I'm fast also and got really good hand power, and I'm the better grappler. I've been doing it for a long time. I wrestled Division 1 in college and been training in Jiu-jitsu for 6+ years and I've beaten a lot of black belts, and I think my pace is something that's going to be hard for him to deal with. Even though he's a fast guy, I think he likes a slow pace and I'm looking forward to the battle.
Jeffrey Harris: Looking at Jose Aldo's previous fights, do you see any vulnerability with Aldo you plan on exploiting during the fight?
Urijah Faber: I've watched some of his older fights from 3+ years ago. That's really when you see him on the ground a little bit more. I saw at that time he wasn't the most comfortable on the ground. So he's obviously made some improvements there, but I've been in high level grappling for a long time. And even if he has improved there, it's not going to be up to par . . . I've seen him go the distance in some fights, and I think basically I'm going to have an advantage the more I touch him, the more I wear on him, the higher pace, and the better for me.
Jeffrey Harris: You got back on the winning track last January when you beat Rafael Assuncao. It was a great fight. Assuncao came to fight and he was competitive but you had the edge striking, then you submitted Assuncao who is a high level BJJ practitioner. How did that victory feel for you?
Urijah Faber: It felt great. It was the first time I really competed a full on fight since I broke the hand and hurt my other hand, so it was good to test that out. I feel like I had a little more power because of the time I spent putting on a little bit of weight from when I was recovering and to get the submission against a guy like that is awesome with that being just background and what he's the best at, to try and beat him at his own game is a good feeling.
Jeffrey Harris: A lot of people are on the Jose Aldo bandwagon right now, and you essentially want to derail that bandwagon. MMA fans are hyping up Aldo as the best pound for pound fighter in the world. People have even said he should match-up and fight BJ Penn. Do you have any thoughts on the hype Aldo is getting right now?
Urijah Faber: I think he deserves it. He's been doing well, you know, I mean his biggest fight obviously was against [Mike] Brown, and other than that I don't really know who the biggest fight was, probably – he beat some pretty tough guys. Alexandre Nogueira would be the second best guy he beat; he went decision with him or went to the late rounds with him and looked really good. But yeah, people should be impressed with him. He looks great and people have been doing the same thing with me for a long time, so I think that's going to make this a great match-up. And as far as a match-up with BJ Penn, I don't think that'd be a great match-up for him, but why not have the top fighters fight each other at some point or another? So, the guy is 22 years old, he's got a lot more to do in the sport and for now he's got to face me, and I'm going to take his belt.
Jeffrey Harris: This is a big move for the WEC to PPV. A lot of fans have criticized the move to PPV and the $45 price tag. But when you look at a dud of a boxing fight like the Pacquiao/Clottey fight, people paying $65 for that, 10 times out of 10, the way this WEC PPV card is shaping up, I would pay to watch the WEC show with your title fight and the Cerrone/Henderson title fight instead. Those are true PPV title fights in my opinion, you know?
Urijah Faber: Yeah, 100%. People were just not used to the model. They've been getting everything for free, but this is a business and the UFC ported a ton of money before they actually turned a profit. But you're seeing the 2 best guys in the world at a weight and a lot of times when you see the PPV cards you're not even seeing that as far as rankings and things like that goes. The biggest thing is that people understand is that this is 2 guys who are some of the most dominant and exciting fighters out there and it's just natural progression to have on PPV. This is a business model, that's how fighting has grown so much; people have paid to watch some big fights to start that out.
Jeffrey Harris: So when you look at your fight which is 2 of the best in the world fighting for the belt, this is a logical move for the WEC to make, and the WEC always has exciting match-ups. You know when you are going to see a WEC card you are going to see some great fights, some exciting finishes, and maybe even some crazy upsets. As an MMA fan, I love surprises like that.
Urijah Faber: Yeah, 100%. It's only been a couple years since the lighter weight fighters have been on TV. People have got to know them so you've seen some incredible match-ups. I think people at the end of the day are going to tune into watch and buy the PPV because it's an interesting match-up. You don't know what's going to happen and it's guaranteed to be fun.
"But right now, I'm focused on winning that belt. He didn't have to fight me to get the belt, so it's guaranteed."
Jeffrey Harris: Some things that Jose Aldo brings to the table are really great speed and strength in a fight. How do you want to handle a fighter like that?
Urijah Faber: You just have to kind of see, see how fast the guy really is when you're right in front of him. How he reacts to what you're doing and vice versa. I'm very well-rounded and good at everything and evolved in MMA so I feel comfortable anywhere. I mean, like I said, the more I put my hands on him and make him physically have to pick up the pace, I think the better for me. But this is a sport where you have to be good at everything to be the best, and I think you're looking at 2 guys that are well rounded but I think I'm definitely the more well-rounded fighter.
Jeffrey Harris: I was wondering if you saw the title bout at WEC 47 with Dominick Cruz and Brian Bowles. And Bowles lost the fight because he broke his hand early in the fight. People compared this to your fight with Mike Brown when you broke your hand and hurt your other one in the fight, but you stayed in the rest of the fight and went 5 rounds. Do you have any opinion on that when you're in a title fight and have a broken hand?
Urijah Faber: Well it's not fun and it's not safe, it's kind of a decision where I didn't necessarily make at a conscious level. I just kind of went with what I had, but I think people are being too hard on Bowles. It's a difficult thing to do, you know. It sucks, you know having your hands broken especially when that's your big move is to punch a guy with that hand or grapple with that hand. So, I mean for me, how I do it, I just push it through and decide that I was going to finish the fight. But I think people are being too hard on Bowles. I mean, there's plenty of people that have had to stop because of things like that. You see it – Frank Shamrock against Cung Lee, he [Shamrock] fractured his arm. It happens all the time so I think it's just kind of like I set the bar kind of high and people remember that so much that it just stands out more when he [Bowles] had to stop. Bowles is a good champion, and it's kind of a frustrating thing to have your weapons gone.
Jeffrey Harris: You are definitely one of the top draws and attractions of the WEC. Jamie Varner isn't too happy about that, and Jamie Varner once called the WEC the Urijah Faber Show. Do you think that's just sour grapes on his part?
Urijah Faber: Yeah, I mean I guess. It is what it is. You can't force people to support ya. I've just been lucky, and if he quit complaining so much, more people would probably like him.
Jeffrey Harris: Would you ever be interested in a catch weight fight with Jamie Varner if the opportunity ever presented itself?
Urijah Faber: No. That's not one of the fights that I'm like looking for. Jamie and I are actually friends, as much as you can't tell because he's always complaining about stuff. But he and I are buddies and I don't think that's a fight the fans want to see and a fight I want to see really. That won't help his notoriety either. What's he got to gain out of that really? And vice versa, fighting my buddy that no one really likes anyways and is bigger than me.
Jeffrey Harris: How is training going right now for the fight and who are your main training partners and what you are doing to prepare for the fight next month?
Urijah Faber: Training has been going great. I mean my training's been consistent; I was back in the gym right after my last fight, started training. The only time I really take time off is if I have little bumps or bruises or feel worn out. So, I've just been consistent. We've got a game plan working on with Master Tong, all the guys at Team Alpha Male. I've been looking forward to going out to Colorado. I'm going to go train some Greco-Roman wrestling with Joe Warren who's a world champion Greco-Roman wrestler. I think Scott Jorgensen and Jesse Brock and a couple other guys will be out there. So going to do that for about 4 or 5 days. Then I'm probably going to bring in a couple of sparring partners to emulate Jose Aldo a little bit. Maybe KJ Noons and I've got a couple of guys that are pretty similar in my gym also. Things have been pretty consistent for me. I just have to make small adjustments and make sure that I'm in the best shape possible and ready for anything.
Jeffrey Harris: How did you like the performance of your teammate, Joseph Benavidez, a couple weeks ago at WEC 47 when he defeated Miguel Torres?
Urijah Faber: He did awesome. I was in his corner and that's how I saw the fight going down. He actually called it that he was going to choke him out before then and he came through man, just hard work. He's been working his butt off for a couple years now and basically he's given his whole life to doing mixed martial arts. He's at the top of his game.
"I've seen him go the distance in some fights, and I think basically I'm going to have an advantage the more I touch him, the more I wear on him, the higher pace, and the better for me."
Jeffrey Harris: I was there live when he beat Rani Yahya at WEC 45, and he's just looked so much better and some people have said he needs to drop down to 125 if a flyweight division is created, but he just beat Miguel Torres. I'd say he's one of the best in the world at bantamweight, wouldn't you agree?
Urijah Faber: Yeah, I've been saying that for a long time. The whole world probably would've known a lot earlier if Kid Yamamoto had taken that fight. He was supposed to go over and that was his big debut to go over and fight Kid Yamamoto and for whatever reason he had to back out and Joseph beat up another Japanese standout, but he's been a guy who you can just see in the gym he is one of the top guys. It's just a matter of time before everyone else knows it. I mean I really think he's going to be one of the greatest in the sport. His style reminds me a lot of boxers from back in the day. He's going to be big for mixed martial arts.
Jeffrey Harris: I'm very curious about this new clothing line, FORM Athletics. Is this your new clothing line?
Urijah Faber: Yeah, FORM Athletics, it's a new brand and they're going to be making some Team Alpha Male stuff for team guys and it's been a quick, quick rise for FORM, it's F-O-R-M. And my partners with that are awesome. They've been in the clothing industry for years in the field at all different levels. They've got a design team and financial guys and distribution and know how's. It's been a cool thing. I mean I've seen it grow right away and I feel like I got a great team of guys and the best product around. I mean for mixed martial arts, there needs to be something that shows the old way of mixed martial arts to where it's at now, and I think our brand is going to be the one to do that.
Jeffrey Harris: I liked in what I read about the brand in emphasizing the positive and disciplined aspects of MMA through the brand and in the typical MMA clothing line it's typically a lot of like skulls, destruction, and death-like symbols. And there was the Hoelzer-Reich controversy a little while back. Was emphasizing the more positive aspects part of your vision of this clothing line?
Urijah Faber: Yeah, it's just I've been looking forward to a clothing line that I feel comfortable with, that's just a brand built around a style that I like and I think it's not one of those brands like Death Watch or Tapout, you know some of these brands are just so loud and I think a lot of guys are just getting comfortable wearing stuff like that . . . with guys like myself who don't really fit that mold, this is more of a kind of a cooler, more subtle look, and it represents the sport.
Jeffrey Harris: I'm curious how the fame aspect works for you now. From where you started to where you are now, where now I can turn on the TV and see a bunch of commercials featuring you in it. And hopefully you'll be getting an action figure sooner or later from Jakks. Do you have any thoughts on that, just sort of your own popularity and how it's grown recently?
Urijah Faber: It's been great. A lot of people don't know the whole history around how I got involved and started in the sport, but it's been almost 7 years now. So when you think about that and think about how recent the fame part of this is, it's just been a cool transformation and there's been a lot of things added to that, most of it just being persistent and not worrying about money and just kind of following my heart and you see it all pay off.
Jeffrey Harris: If fans are on fence about buying the PPV next month, what do you want to say to give them the hard sell on this show and this being probably one of the best MMA shows of the year?
Urijah Faber: Yeah, basically that. You're seeing 2 of the best guys in their prime; rarely do you get to see that. There's always the Pride and the UFC battles. Now there's the Strikeforce and the UFC and the DREAM and all this dilution of talent and this is one of the first times where you're going to see 2 guys at the top of their game fighting for a world championship and not only that but 2 of the most exciting fighters in the world. So people would be really missing out if they don't tune in to watch.
Jeffrey Harris: Do you feel you are past the two losses to Mike Brown and they are not weighing in your mind, or do you use the losses as motivation for the next fight?
Urijah Faber: That really motivates me. It motivates me when I lose, when I win, when I wake up in the morning. I mean life's good man, so I'm just a motivated cat and I've got goals and I don't really dwell on things in the past but I definitely would like to avenge those losses. But right now, I'm focused on winning that belt. He didn't have to fight me to get the belt, so it's guaranteed.
Jeffrey Harris: And you think that's your belt he's got, right?
Urijah Faber: Not to be disrespectful, I mean it's his belt. He earned it, but in my own head, that belongs to me.
Jeffrey Harris: Do you have any people or sponsors you would like to thank or give a shout out to?
Jeffrey Harris: Thank you so much for your time. I think this is going to be great and this is top to bottom one of the best looking cards of the year.
Urijah Faber: For sure man. I appreciate it. So stay tuned and looking forward to reading the article.
WEC 48 will be broadcast live on PPV on April 24. Remember to tune into 411mania.com for the best and quickest live play by play coverage of the event. Also remember you can follow 411mania.com on Twitter:
Posted By: Samer Kadi (Registered) on March 18, 2010 at 09:56 AM
Good interview. Faber vs. Aldo is going to be great fight and I sure hope that California Kid comes out on top.
Can't wait to buy some of those FORM clothes.
Posted By: Finn (Guest) on March 18, 2010 at 11:02 AM
Too bad Faber is garbage.
Posted By: rock (Guest) on March 18, 2010 at 10:13 PM
Too bad Rock is garbage.
Posted By: Unknown (Guest) on March 30, 2010 at 09:30 AM
??? so confused, i wathced urijah cut aldo's forehead for a win in reno about four years ago.?? they talk like they have never fought eachother?? am i blowing the lid????
Posted By: dino (Guest) on April 14, 2010 at 04:48 PM
Faber and Aldo never fought before buddy, your mistaken.
Posted By: Chris (Guest) on April 18, 2010 at 03:49 PM
