Whether he likes it or not, Urijah Faber is the face of WEC.  Faber gained loyal fans by defending his featherweight belt for more than 2 years.  Not only is he one of the best fighters in the world, he’s also one of the most exciting.  He takes risks and always puts on a great fight.

Today, he is training for his debut at bantamweight.  His first fight in the division will be against the highly regarded Takeya Mizugaki on November 11, 2010.  Faber took the time out from his busy schedule to talk with NERDSociety regarding his fame, Team Alpha Male and about his hobbies.  Below is the interview:

NERDSociety:  How’s your training going?

Urijah Faber: It’s going good.  I’m training as usual.  It should be interesting to see how well I do in the bantamweight division against Mizugaki.

NS:  Have you trained differently for this fight?

Faber: No it’s the same.  Mizugaki is a tough fighter from Japan.  He went five rounds with Miguel Torres.  I just need to train on all aspects of MMA especially striking and grappling.

NS:  For a guy that started out in wrestling, you look comfortable on your feet.  You have dynamic punches, how did that come about?

Faber: It’s all hard work.  I wish I can say I was already comfortable with strikes from the beginning but I wasn’t.  That’s the thing with MMA, in order to be good, you have to excel in striking, wrestling and submission.  If you’re only good at one area, you won’t last long in this sport.  For me it was persistence.  I do whatever it takes to prepare myself for my next fight.

NS:  Speaking of persistence, you went five rounds against Mike Brown in the rematch and you also went the distance with Aldo.  You were limping afterwards.  Which was the tougher fight?

Faber: They were both tough but for now I’d have to say Aldo.  I don’t know if it’s because it’s more recent but his leg kicks hurt like hell.   Once he knew my leg was in trouble, he kept hitting me on the same spot.  He’s really accurate and there wasn’t much I could do about it.  With Brown, I don’t think he knew that my hand was broken so he wasn’t going for it.  I was able to move my hand right before it would get hit.  With Aldo, I had no choice but to take the legs kick.  Either way, they both sucked.

NS:  You never threw in the towel for both fights, your must also be mentally tough.

Faber: Oh yeah that’s one thing I forgot to mention, in order to make it in this sport, you need to be mentally tough as well.  You can’t just give up if the fight doesn’t go your way.  You have to find a way to win if plan “A” doesn’t work.

I’m  never deterred.  I give it 110% even if a fight doesn’t go my way.  I’ll fight to the end.

NS:  My co-worker who barely watches MMA, always talks about you whenever I mention WEC.  It seems like you’re the WEC icon.  What does that mean to you?

Faber: I’m used to the limelight.  I accept that my hard worked paid off and I’m appreciated.  I’m really honored that fans enjoy the fights!

NS:  A sherdog member wanted to know, now that you’re 31, are you going to change your “California Kid” nickname?

Faber: I’ve made my name through that nickname so I’ll stick with it for my entire life.  I mean I can change it to California King or something like that but it just wouldn’t sound right (laughing).  I like California Kid so we’ll leave it at that.

NS:  Your team, Alpha Male, really has some good fighters, what did you think of Benavidez losing to Cruz for the second time in their title fight?

Faber: The fight could’ve gone either way but I’m not upset with the decision.  Cruz got a couple more takedowns  and in a close fight, that was the biggest factor.  I wasn’t overly impressed with Cruz.

NS:  Whatever happened to your former teammate, Tito Jones?  It seemed like he had a lot of potential.

Faber: We still keep in touch, he went back to Florida to take care of his mom.  He’s trying to get big fights right now.

NS:  Besides MMA, what else is new with you?

Faber: Well I just worked with Danny McBride (Kenny Powers on HBO’s Eastbound & Down) for that K-Swiss Commercial.

NS:  Oh yeah I remember that, what was that like?

Faber: It was cool just being on the set.  You see how they set up the shots and there’s a script ready for us.  Then Danny McBride just comes in and ad libs.  It’s interesting to see what he comes up with.  He’s really funny and you don’t know what will come out of his mouth.

NS:  Is he a big mma fan?

Faber: Before the shoot, I don’t think he was a hardcore fan.  He knew enough to talk about MMA.  After the shoot I think he followed MMA closely.  I saw him shadow box by himself at the end of the shoot (laughing).  No one was around, so he probably thought I didn’t see him.  It was really funny

NS:  You mentioned K-Swiss, when did they start getting into mma?

Faber: A couple of months ago.  I’m really excited about the partnership.  K Swiss is having their own MMA division, called Form Athletics.  They have some really cool board shorts. What I love the most are the shoes, it’s really comfy when you’re training.

NS:  What were you like growing up?

Faber: Believe it or not, I loved to write in high school.  I was also an artist and loved to draw.  So I did that.  People think I started wrestling when I was a little kid but I didn’t start until I was in eighth grade.

NS:  That’s cool, most fans just think that all you guys like to do is fight.

Faber: That’s what we chose as a career but it doesn’t mean that’s all we can do (laughs).  I also love to cook but it sucks as a fighter because you have to watch what you eat.  So I just try to enjoy my friend’s  eating my dishes.  I make a mean Italian salad!

NS:  Did you ever play video games when you were a kid?

Faber: I played it with my friends.  Usually after school at the arcades.  I wasn’t a hardcore gamer but I played Frogger back in the Atari Days.  Two other favorites are Mike Tyson’s Punch Out and Street Fighter.

NS:  You should play Street Fighter 4, it’s similar to the old school ones in the arcade.

Faber: I have to try it out one of these days.  I don’t have time for it and the players out there are way advanced and the moves are too complicating.

NS:  UFC 121 is this Saturday, who do you have Brock or Velasquez?

Faber: That’s a really tough call.  They’re both really good.  Brock Lesnar is a giant and monster.  Wrestling wise, they’re about the same.  I’d give the edge to Velasquez for stand up.    Overall, I think Velasquez is a little bit more technical so I’d give it to him.  No matter who wins, it’ll be an entertaining fight.

NS:  There’s a rumor that you’ll be the next coach for TUF, is it true?

Faber: No, that’s just a rumor.  I’ve been asked that before and I don’t know where it started.  Until Dana White calls me to be the coach, every TUF rumor about me is false.

NS:  Before we go, any final word to your fans?

Faber: I want to thank everybody for the support.  I will be making a statement when I fight in November.  It should be exciting because it’ll be a new weight for me.  I also want to thank Alpha Male Athletics.  I really appreciate all the encouragement from the fans.  Please say hi to me on facebook!

**End Of Interview **

I want to thank Urijah Faber for the interview.  He’s one of my favorite fighters and it was great talking to him.  We wish him the best against Takuya Mizayaki on November 11 for the next WEC.

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