“The California Kid” is back and looking better than ever … Well, based on the 46 seconds his fight with Ricky Simon lasted. Urijah Faber thrilled his hometown crowd of Sacramento, catching Simon early with a big overhand right that landed flush on the temple, dropping the young prospect and prompting the ref to stop things (watch the finish here).
Faber credited teammate Song Yadong with teaching him the right he caught Simon with, one of the better things he picked up during his return camp. Less great: an injured shoulder that limited his training for nearly two weeks. Faber explained what happened during a post fight interview with UFC News.
”I came right off that [Polaris 10] grappling match in the UK where I got into camp. And the first practice that I had sparring, I sprained my AC joint,” Faber said. “I got a PRP [Platelet-rich plasma] shot and I was out for eleven 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.”
“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
”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.”
Faber definitely sounds like he’s all in after a premature two and a half year retirement stint. After taking out Simon he threw a challenge champ champ Henry Cejudo’s way before admitting afterward that he’d be happy to take whoever the UFC throws his way so long as they keep cutting them phat checks. Faber earned a $50,000 performance of the night bonus too and the UFC’s good will for accepting a fight against the tough but relatively unknown Ricky Simon.
It’s that kind of ‘trooper’ mentality that Faber hopes translates into a matchup against a top name in the bantamweight division. But even if they put him up against another young wolf, Faber just proved he’s still got plenty of gas left in his career’s tank.