Gift of jab, gift of gab: Urijah Faber going strong at 42 as he adds MMA promotional work
Urijah Faber and retirement, real retirement, never mesh together. That would be similar to easing up, and Faber doesn’t comprehend any measure of slowing down.
Weeks shy of his 43rd birthday, Faber is too amped to gear down. He takes on challenges with typical robust enthusiasm and the same vigor the one-time Lincoln High School and UC Davis wrestling star used to clobber foes in mixed martial arts combat while warding off guys aiming to take his head off.
Faber has added the role of promoter to his vast array of duties that include regular visits to his Sacramento gym to work with veterans and up-and-comers at Team Alpha Male. He is a father of two young children who tend to climb all over him like a jungle gym. He is now the front man for Faber’s MMA A1 Combat series that will start with two events at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Wheatland on May 1 and 28. UFC Fight Pass recently announced a streaming deal with Faber’s MMA operation. His aim is to showcase new fighters, to give them a shot to compete in front of a festive crowd, elements that fueled Faber throughout his UFC Hall of Fame career, including his final fights (in 2019).
But one thing about guys wired like this. Stopping altogether is easier said than done. Is Faber semi-retired from competing or completely done with it? Well, maybe, and likely not. If that makes sense.
In a chat with Faber, he said that it is not easy suddenly shutting the switch off as a full-on athlete, especially when surrounded by it as a coach, a mentor, a promoter. He’ll take his time pondering a return to the octagon, but had a sudden urge to wrestle again. Yes, wrestling. No shots to the head, no knees to the gut, but still a pursue-and-conquer activity. He’s back into wrestling, his roots, the start of his rise, even if just briefly.
Wrestling in Las Vegas
Faber headed to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning to take part in a wrestling master’s meet Thursday. He signed up Tuesday. He works that fast. This is Faber, pouncing on opportunities. He hasn’t entered this arena in more than 20 years, since his UCD wrestling days, but it’s never wise to bet against Faber. He competed in this event as a 154-pounder, a heavier look for a pioneer of MMA’s lighter-weight classes. Faber left wrestling but it never left the man forever known as “The California Kid.”
“I’ll be in Vegas with my UCD buddies to compete for a national championship for old guys,” Faber said with a laugh. “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else is easy. Wrestling is grit, the understanding of how to be consistent, of being in incredible shape, of being more about the mind. It carries over to MMA, too.”
He added, “I’m talking about doing some combat again at some point. I haven’t ruled it out. I want to do that before my body gives up on me. I haven’t lost my desire to compete yet. It’s hard to quit. You catch yourself every day wondering about it.”
Faber lost that wrestling match to Glenn Garrison of the Western Colorado Wrestling Club, but he won in that he gave it a shot. Faber got the itch to compete from his mother, Suzanne.
“I don’t know how to get rid of the desire to compete,” Faber said. “When my mom turned 60, she ran a half marathon, and she doesn’t run. It’s in our blood. I was so proud of her. She is the toughest lady on the planet. She’s 67 now, a fiery Italian woman, just so strong.”
Promoting MMA
As for combat with blows to the head, Faber said he won’t be in over his head should he give it one more go. He said his wife Jaslyn and mother, “stopped worrying about me fighting a long time ago. ... I feel really good physically. I’m not beating my body up as much. I have some aches and pains but I’m really energized, too.”
Faber said his role of promoter was a natural one. He has the gift of jab and gab.
“It’s a continuation of giving back to the sport,” Faber said of his promotion work. “I feel for a long time, my career was about me. I was able to do things on the outside, like build Team Alpha Male, and I’ve had a bigger role over the years in the lives and careers of other fighters, managing and coaching and promotion. This is rounding out my role as an MMA expert. I’ve done it all.”
What’s Faber’s pitch for anyone not sure about the MMA experience?
“There’s nothing like a live event, and our first events will be in an incredible casino, the Hard Rock, in a very intimate setting,” Faber said. “It can be intense, entertaining. It’s the coolest thing. Sometimes you’ll find an overlooked talent who you’ll get to see on the stage. This is needed in Northern California.”
Faber said fatherhood has been his favorite role and obligation, even if the kids make him feel his age. He and wife Jaslyn enjoy doting over daughter Cali, who is 3, and son Rome, who is 2.
“As a father, it’s the same thing as anything I do: I’m prepared to go the extra mile,” Faber said. “I’ll be a daddy dog with the kids for an hour and a half, on a leash, told to sit. I always knew I wanted to be a dad.”
Dad. Wrestler. UFC Fighter. Hall of Famer. Promoter. Faber makes the time.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 6:42 AM.