Urijah Faber Happy to Pass Torch to Team Alpha Male Fighters

Urijah Faber Happy to Pass Torch to Team Alpha Male Fighters

UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber is set to make his final walk to the Octagon Saturday at UFC Fight Night Sacramento. Here, he discusses the emotions at play.

Dec 13, 2016 by Jim Edwards
Urijah Faber Happy to Pass Torch to Team Alpha Male Fighters
The UFC 206 hangover may still be in full effect, but by the time we get to the weekend, the anticipation for UFC Fight Night Sacramento will be in full effect.

Paige VanZant and Michelle Waterson will headline the bill, but perhaps the biggest storyline heading into this weekend will be the upcoming retirement of former WEC bantamweight champion Urijah Faber.

Faber made the decision to retire earlier this year following successive losses to Dominick Cruz at UFC 199 in June and then Jimmie Rivera at UFC 203 in September. Despite making such a life-changing decision, for the minute, it doesn't appear Faber has been thinking about life post-UFC Fight Night Sacramento.

"I haven't given too much thought about retirement," Faber told Submission Radio. "I'm more of [a] living-in-the-moment kind of guy. But I feel like the time is right. I know that it's something that I love to do, but it hasn't been evoking the same type of emotion as it has in the past. The ups and downs and everything involved is just a little bit different.

"I still feel real fortunate to be able to work out every day and make a living doing the things that I love. But in all honesty, if I didn't set a time and say, 'OK, this is going to be it,' I would've just kept on fighting and kept on fighting. Because it doesn't scare me. It's a nice way to make a buck, I enjoy the process. But I feel fortunate to have my wits about me. I feel fortunate to have my body functioning and feel like I'm in good health, and I just feel like it's time to be able to focus on some other things and end on a good note."

While Faber may feel fortunate to be in good health heading into his final professional fight, the circumstances aren't quite as perfect as he once dreamed they might be for his retirement.

"Well to be honest, I would have liked to beat Dominick Cruz in the last fight, win the title, maybe do one defense in my hometown of Sacramento and go out with the belt," Faber said. "But this is not fairytale land. This is the real world, and you can't control everything. So, you know, that would have been the perfect scenario, but it didn't happen.

"I don't think it's the wisest thing to do to think about what I'm going to do to end my career. I mean, my career is going up until that day, and I have to focus as such. So, I haven't really thought about it. I know it's going to be a mystery to how the emotions are on that night, whether it's going to be a breath of relief or, you know, emotional saying goodbye or what's going to happen."

When the time comes Saturday for Faber to make his final walk to the Octagon, he expects to remain in the moment and not become overwhelmed by the various emotions and storylines at play.

"I'm just going to go with the moment," he said. "That's kind of how I live my life anyways and just go out thankful and hopefully have a performance of my lifetime."

Despite his disappointment at not being a title holder during his retirement fight, Faber is taking solace in the fact that some of his Team Alpha Male teammates are stepping up to the plate and walking their own paths of success.

"I think having Paige VanZant headline the show in our hometown where our gym and our team is, kind of like a passing of torch, to have two of my top guys, with Josh Emmett and (Hector) 'Alex' Sandoval on the card and then Cody Garbrandt fighting for a world championship two weeks later, it's all just a perfect scenario."