It has been nearly three years since Urijah Faber has stepped inside of the Octagon so it’s understandable why fight fans are excited to see “California Kid” once more later tonight (Sat., July 13, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 13 live on ESPN+ from inside Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., as he takes on divisional upstart Ricky Simon in the co-main event.
Faber, who turned 40 back in May, was last seen defeating Brad Pickett via unanimous decision back in 2016. The four-time UFC title challenger announced his retirement after that bout yet remained in the USADA testing pool for the years to come. It was a slight indication that Faber would one day step back inside of the cage.
Well, that day has come. The former WEC featherweight champion is geared up and ready to take on the new generation of UFC bantamweights. It’s going to be a tough return for Faber considering the durability and explosiveness of Simon, but “California Kid” has proven time and time again that he can outpoint the very best fighters in the world.
In preparation for Faber’s jump out of retirement, UFC has compiled the best submission finishes of his UFC career (shown in the above video player). From his standing rear-naked choke finish of Ivan Menjivar to his wild guillotine stoppage over Michael McDonald, Faber has produced some of the more memorable submission finishes in UFC bantamweight history.
Only time will tell if Faber can bypass the long layoff and add Simon to this long list of top-flight finishes.