Urijah Faber
Active 2011–present · rated in 4 editions · peak overall 86.0
Scouting report
Founder of Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, UFC Hall of Famer Urijah "The California Kid" Faber helped raise the profile of the lighter weight classes. Born in Isla Vista, California, Faber held the WEC Featherweight Championship before competing in multiple UFC bantamweight title fights behind takedowns and his guillotine choke. His grappling is captured by a 90 Wrestling rating, 88 BJJ, and 88 Cardio.
Peak ratings
By edition
Faber contended at the top of the division between 2011 and 2013, dropping title bouts to Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao while finishing Brian Bowles, Scott Jorgensen and Michael McDonald and beating Eddie Wineland and Iuri Alcantara on decisions. His guillotine chokes, scramble wrestling, and pace are reflected in an 88 BJJ and 88 Cardio rating.
In 2014, Faber was stopped by Renan Barao at UFC 169 before rebounding with submission victories over Alex Caceres and Francisco Rivera in Las Vegas. In 2015, he dropped a featherweight bout to Frankie Edgar in Manila before outpointing Frankie Saenz at UFC 194. His scrambles, takedowns, and guillotine threats are captured in his 88 BJJ and 90 Wrestling.
Faber challenged Dominick Cruz in their trilogy bout at UFC 199 in June 2016, dropping a decision, and lost to Jimmie Rivera before retiring with a hometown victory over Brad Pickett at UFC on Fox 22 in Sacramento. His durability against top competition and wrestling base anchor his 84 Durability and 88 Fight IQ across these final appearances.
Faber ended his retirement in July 2019 at UFC Fight Night 155 in Sacramento, stopping Ricky Simon in round one before being stopped by Petr Yan with a head kick at UFC 245 in Las Vegas. His overhand right power and wrestling foundation are reflected in an 80 Boxing and 87 Wrestling score during his return.
Urijah Faber, the California Kid who built a team
Urijah Faber was one of the early stars of the lighter divisions and the founder of Team Alpha Male. He came out of UC Davis wrestling and finished fights with guillotines. He fought Jose Aldo for the featherweight title, lost to Dominick Cruz in a bantamweight title fight, and dropped a decision to Renan Barao in an interim-title bout. He is a fun, veteran pick.
Faber attribute by attribute
Boxing. Solid and explosive. His right hand and hooks were enough to hurt opponents.
Kickboxing. One of his lower areas. He did not rely on kicks and used them sparingly.
Wrestling. Very good. He shot quickly and used his wrestling to stay in charge.
BJJ. A key skill. He was a dangerous guillotine artist and scrambled to take the back.
Strength. Reasonable. Strong for his size, though not overwhelming.
Durability. He stayed active for a long time and took many hard fights.
Cardio. He kept a good pace, though he slowed slightly later in his career.
Fight IQ. Smart and experienced, and he used the same fight plan to beat many opponents.
What Faber brings: Wrestling
His wrestling gives him control, and the top control feeds his submissions. If you draft him, use him as someone who can dictate the position rather than as a pure striker.
Where he lags: Kickboxing
He is not a kicker, and rangey strikers can make him chase. If your roster also lacks a kicking presence, you could end up short in that department.
Keep exploring
Closest bantamweight profiles to Urijah Faber, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Aljamain Sterlingbest bjj 95 · weakest strength 76
- Mario Bautistabest cardio 89 · weakest strength 74
- Ricky Simonbest cardio 90 · weakest kickboxing 76
- Raphael Assuncaobest bjj 88 · weakest strength 74
- Bantamweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Urijah Faber's strongest attribute, Wrestling.
Draft Urijah Faber into your build
Urijah Faber enters the pool on any spin landing on bantamweight between 2010 and 2019. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Urijah Faber is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Urijah Faber's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.