She’s 67 now, a fiery Italian woman, just so strong.” Promoting MMAĪs for combat with blows to the head, Faber said he won’t be in over his head should he give it one more go. “When my mom turned 60, she ran a half marathon, and she doesn’t run.
“I don’t know how to get rid of the desire to compete,” Faber said. Faber got the itch to compete from his mother, Suzanne. You catch yourself every day wondering about it.”įaber lost that wrestling match to Glenn Garrison of the Western Colorado Wrestling Club, but he won in that he gave it a shot. I want to do that before my body gives up on me. He added, “I’m talking about doing some combat again at some point. Wrestling is grit, the understanding of how to be consistent, of being in incredible shape, of being more about the mind. “Once you’ve wrestled, everything else is easy. “I’ll be in Vegas with my UCD buddies to compete for a national championship for old guys,” Faber said with a laugh.
Faber left wrestling but it never left the man forever known as “The California Kid.” He competed in this event as a 154-pounder, a heavier look for a pioneer of MMA’s lighter-weight classes. 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. This is Faber, pouncing on opportunities. 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).įaber headed to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning to take part in a wrestling master’s meet Thursday. UFC Fight Pass recently announced a streaming deal with Faber’s MMA operation.
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.
He is a father of two young children who tend to climb all over him like a jungle gym. 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.įaber 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. Weeks shy of his 43rd birthday, Faber is too amped to gear down. That would be similar to easing up, and Faber doesn’t comprehend any measure of slowing down. Urijah Faber and retirement, real retirement, never mesh together.