(Faber is fit to fight this weekend. Check out the full WEC 46 weigh in gallery here.)
“I’m not defined by my wins and losses. I’m just defined by who I am,” says Urijah Faber. “I’m a good dude and I love life. As long as I put out my best effort, I’m always happy. I hate to lose, but I love to fight.”
Faber’s last fight was a five round title bout loss versus Mike Thomas Brown at WEC 41 last June. “That was a rough fight. It was kind of a moral victory for me. I knew after the first round that I was at a big disadvantage,” he says. “I think people out there know it would have been a different fight if my hands hadn’t been out of commission.”
Faber broke his right hand early in the bout, later requiring two steel plates and eight screws in his right hand. He dislocated his left thumb in the same round and was taken to the hospital after the bout, but he still made it to his after party. He’s “The California Kid,” after all.
He’d love to fight Brown again; however, another top-5 featherweight in Rafael Assuncao challenges Faber in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif. on January 10 from the Arco Arena live on Versus. He expects a war and isn’t looking past the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Should he win, a title shot against Jose Aldo is all but signed.
“It’s exciting man. It’s a little bit more motivation,” says Faber. “I know I’m up there with the top guys in the world so, I just want to have a good performance and make sure that’s a concrete—something that happens.”
That’s because even after two losses to Brown, Faber is still a top-ranked featherweight and the WEC’s biggest draw. That rankles WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner, who has been telling the media WEC is promoting Faber—the hometown fighter—over the headlining divisional king.
“It doesn’t surprise me. That guy’s always complaining about something. He’s a buddy of mine, but he’s a mess sometimes. I love the guy but he’s gotta get his head on his shoulders,” says Faber. “He asked specifically to be on my card because he wanted more viewers.
“The best case scenario would be if all sorts of people are watching. If he were the one that makes a bunch of people watch, then [Varner’s criticism] would make sense, but I don’t think that’s the case. We want people to see him so they fall in love with his fighting style so basically he can be draw in the future.”
Faber spoke with Fox Sports’ Inside the Cage on Reno, Nevada’s 1450 AM, hosted by Greg Delong with co-host Danny Acosta.
In the video below, Faber talks with FIGHT! Magazine’s video crew about those tough loses to Brown.
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