Urijah Faber is happy to be recognized as a pioneer for lighter weight classes in mixed martial arts (MMA).
Faber’s storied MMA career has led him to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Fame. “The California Kid” was inducted last night (July 6) along with Kazushi Sakuraba, Joe Silva, and Maurice Smith.
Getting to this point wasn’t a cakewalk for Faber. With the bleak outlook on smaller weight classes years ago, Faber knew he had his work cut out for him (via MMAFighting.com):
“I was the era of the hustler, which means there wasn’t a real opportunity for us lighter weight fighters, or for fighters in general. You thought there was, because you saw people on TV and things like that, but we had to hustle.”
While “The California Kid’s” fighting career has come to a close, he’s far from exiting the public eye.
“There’s so much to be said in this and so many people to thank. My family of course, and my friends and my coaches, my teammates, my managers, and everyone along the way. I just want to thank everybody who has a positive attitude out there, who has good energy, and thank you for being a part of this experience. It’s just the very beginning for me.”
