Editor’s note: This is part two in a three-part series about the sport of Mixed-Martial Arts. Find part three in the May 30 edition.  Read part one

Sacramento’s Urijah Faber isn’t your typical ultimate fighter. He’s not covered in tattoos, doesn’t tower above six feet tall and he exudes more charm than anger. Yet the 145-pound featherweight World Extreme Cagefighting champion is not only the best mixed martial artist of his size in his organization, he may also be the best in the world.

With the rise of MMA in the United States, organizations like the Ultimate Fighting Championship and WEC are attracting the best athletes in the world to compete for titles. Faber’s already got his, and with a 20-1 record, he’s not looking to relinquish it any time soon.

Home Field Advantage
Faber’s next fight could be his greatest glory. Fighting in a WEC Main Event on June 1, both in his hometown’s Arco Arena and live on cable television on the Versus channel, he’s earned an opportunity to showcase his talents to his largest crowd ever.

“I’m excited,” said Faber, a graduate of Lincoln High School. “This is gonna be the first time I’ve fought in an arena this size and it’s gonna be in my hometown. I grew up in the surrounding area, so I’ve got a ton of friends and family and I’m looking forward to putting on a show.”

Unfortunately, Faber’s got possibly his toughest test to date. He will face one of the sport’s well-known fighters in Jens Pulver, a former wrestler with great boxing skills and a proven track record in the UFC. He joined the WEC late last year and won his first fight in 35 seconds.

“Jens is established in the sport and is dangerous, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him,” Faber said. “It’s not that I don’t think I’m gonna win. I believe I am. I’m favored in the fight and I think I have the skills to beat him. I just know he’s a dangerous guy.

In a sport where anything can go and fortunes swing as fast as a stock market crash, Faber’s only plan is to be ready for everything.

“I’m just gonna take it how it comes,” he said. “I don’t think this is a sport where you can game plan as much as you would in a boxing match or wrestling match. You can’t really predict what’s going to happen and you don’t understand the power of a guy or his speed until you stand right in front of him. I’m just gonna take it to him and let the chips fall where they may.”

From Guts to Glory
Faber wasn’t always an MMA fighter. The UC Davis grad was a collegiate wrestler first, and a coach at his alma mater directly after. Working for pennies compared to his salary now, Faber just enjoyed being around the 1-on-1 sport until a new itch came calling.

“I’m not a planner,” Faber said. “I just follow my passion and my heart. After graduation [from Davis], I still wanted to compete. I started coaching there and was making hardly any money, but was following my heart. They asked me what I wanted to do and I said was gonna try out MMA and ultimate fighting. It’s something I started doing to test out and haven’t stopped.”

He immediately found success in the growing sport, and the money came along with it. Unknowingly, Faber found his calling.

“I’m really excited about my career,” he said. “I always dreamt that the sport would get to this. I knew the potential was there. I thought in my head that I would make an impact in this sport. Now that it’s panning out, it’s a really cool feeling.”

Now he’s the guy with a target on his back, and that’s the only place he wants to be.

“To be the guy everyone is shooting for is a great position in this sport,” Faber said.

“The California Kid”
Although his looks couldn’t more accurately represent his moniker “The California Kid,” Faber fights with a tenacity nearly unmatched in the sport. In several fights, he’s been known to spring from his corner like a tornado on a path of destruction, and his Jiu-Jitsu skills partner with his wrestling background to make him an elusive and punishing force on the ground.

Faber’s known for exciting matches, whether they end in knockout or submission, and he hopes his next is no different. The key, he said, is his mentality going into each match.

“I’m going to fight somebody who is going to try to beat me up,” Faber said. “I’ve always thought that no one could beat me up, even before I did anything. Now, I’m just applying that mentality to my training. It’s worked out so far, and I don’t really like to think of the championship belt or money. It’s like if I was on a playground, am I going to let someone beat me up? If I was in a bar and someone said they were gonna beat me up, what would my mentality be? It’s the same mentality when I step into the cage.”

Come June 1, Faber’s phenomenal career will take another leap. With all of Sacramento behind him, hopefully it’s even further into the spotlight, where the rest of the nation wakes up to the stardom of the next great thing.

“I’ll definitely feed off of the home crowd,” Faber said. “It’s gonna be an experience I haven’t had before. I know Jens is the type of guy that loves playing to the crowd and he can use it to pump him up whether it’s booing him or cheering him. But deep down, I think he likes to be the fan favorite. And he’s not, in this case.”