It was not a smooth-sailing training camp for Urijah Faber in preparation for his return at UFC Sacramento.
At 40 years of age, UFC Hall-of-Famer decided to come out of retirement to take on younger challengers at the UFC’s bantamweight division. Matched up against him for his return was up-and-comer Ricky Simon, who was on an eight-fight win streak entering the fight.
During a post-fight interview, Faber revealed how his preparations turned out to be a challenging one, as he dealt with a shoulder injury at the start of his camp. And for him, it was about showing his younger wards at Team Alpha Male the right attitude when approaching fights.
“I saw his big dome and his weird haircut coming at me, and I was like, ‘Alright, it’s time to take this dude’s head off.’”@UrijahFaber walks through his finish and what it meant to have that performance in Sacramento. #UFCSacramento pic.twitter.com/So3BZUFhPi
— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 14, 2019
“I try to lead by example in this thing, and literally, I came right off that grappling match in the UK where I got into camp. And the first practice that I had sparring, I sprained my AC joint,” Faber explained.
“I got a PRP shot, and I was out for 11 days of an eight-week camp, having to work on my kicks and do running, and doing all the stuff that I tell these guys to do and lead by example,” he continued. “So, I was coming in at seven in the morning, and before practice was over at 11:30, I would’ve put in all that time.
“And I’m just trying to show these guys that ‘this is how you do it, guys. This is not a one toe in, one toe out.’”
“The California Kid” did get the job done in his return from a three-year layoff with a first-round TKO win in front of his home crowd. From his end, Simon had nothing but congratulatory words towards the veteran fighter.
That’s why he’s a Hall of Famer. Congrats @UrijahFaber
— Ricky Simón (@RickySimonUFC) July 14, 2019
With the win, Faber now improves to a record of 35-10, with 27 wins by stoppage.