After more than five years since his last fight, bantamweight legend Urijah Faber (35-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) has been released from the UFC roster. His departure from the company comes after a recent bit of roster cleaning, with him being let go from his contract alongside Victor Hugo, Kyung Ho Kang, and Danny Roberts.
The last time fights fans witnessed the fabled “California Kid” in action was back in 2019 at UFC 245, where he was blasted into unconsciousness by a surging Petr Yan. Although Faber has entertained the idea of making a return over the years, including a potential matchup with Marlon Vera, nothing ever materialized, leaving many to assume that the now 45-year old has quietly retired.
Urijah Faber Was Once One of Top Fighters On the Planet
Although the UFC’s 135-lb landscape is packed to the brim with many new and established stars today, the story of the division simply cannot be told without Urijah Faber. For the first five years of his career, the California native was arguably among the best in the sport, having won such prestigious regional and major promotional championships in two different weight classes.
Among these titles that he won were the King of the Cage Bantamweight strap (which he defended five times) and the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) Featherweight championship.
It was in the WEC where Urijah Faber flourished as their 145-lb titleholder, defending his throne a total of five times against the likes of Jeff Curran, Jens Pulver, and a young Dominick Cruz. This reign of dominance would be put to rest by Mike Brown, however, who finished Faber in the first round by TKO.
This is still viewed as one of the biggest upsets in WEC history, as Faber was not only 21-1 at this time, but he was also riding a massive 13-fight win streak. From here, the west coast fighter never regained his place at the top in the organization, as Faber ended up falling short in his next two title shots, losing to Brown once more and an up-and-coming José Aldo.
Urijah Faber Makes Move to UFC
Dropping down to bantamweight for the first time in over four years, he picked up a submission win over Takeya Mizugaki in what would be his final bout in the WEC before the promotion was purchased by the UFC. Still competing in the 135-lb class, Urijah Faber won his debut when he faced off with Eddie Wineland, instantly earning himself a championship opportunity versus previous opponent, Cruz, at UFC 132. Recently capturing the vacant strap by beating Scott Jorgensen, Cruz was now a seasoned world-class competitor after coming over from the WEC as their bantamweight king. This showed in his rematch with Faber, with “The Dominator” getting his hand raised to avenge his only loss at the time.
Following this setback, Faber won his comeback bout opposite Brian Bowles to earn his own runback with Cruz, but the champion wound up getting injured, which led to the UFC putting on an interim title contest between Faber and Brazilian phenom Renan Barão at UFC 149.
Going all five rounds with the 31-1 Barão, “The California Kid” failed for a second time to hoist company gold above his head when he lost the fight by unanimous decision. This wasn’t the last time these two competitors ever crossed paths, though, because after winning four more bouts, Urijah Faber earned another chance to conquer Barão at UFC 169, who had been promoted to undisputed champion after Cruz was stripped due to inactivity. Sadly, this fight concluded in much more definitive fashion compared to their first one when the champion viciously knocked Faber out in the very first round to put an end to their rivalry.
Another Shot at Gold for Urijah Faber
It would be another two years and a three fight win streak at 135-lb (he took and lost a featherweight contest to Frankie Edgar during that stretch) until Faber managed to claw his way back toward a championship affair at UFC 199. This title fight was to be the most important one of his entire career, as he entered the Octagon in his third and final bout with his nemesis, Cruz.
Having snatched the belt away from Faber’s then teammate T.J. Dillashaw, the Alpha Male founder found himself fighting for more than just redemption, he was competing to avenge his friend at the time. Cruz still proved to be the better man, however, and soundly shut out Faber, nearly earning 50-45 scorecards across the board.
The End Of Faber’s Illustrious Story As a Fighter
Before picking up a victory over Brad Pickett in 2016, Faber made the announcement that the fight was going to be his last, and for three years, it appeared that the California legend was truly done with competing. That was until a 2019 inclusion at UFC Fight Night: de Randamie vs. Ladd saw the former WEC champion smoke Ricky Simón in the first round in one of the more highlight-reel performances of his later UFC tenure.
It looked as though the aging Faber had just a little more left in the tank to go on one more spectacular run. To the shock of many, however, he would be stopped devastatingly in his next trip to the cage by Petr Yan, who flatlined the American with a huge head kick, bringing an end to the bantamweight luminary’s storied career.
Urijah Faber Today
Currently, Faber owns, operates, and coaches at Team Alpha Male, considered to be a premier mixed martial arts gym in California, which has produced UFC standouts like Cody Garbrandt, Song Yadong, and Yan Xiaonan. He also founded his own fighting promotion called Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat.
Despite not having fought in MMA for more than half a decade, Faber has remained somewhat active in combat sports, competing twice in 2024 in grappling matches, notably beating fifth degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Bibiano Fernandes at ADXC 5.
