Mike Chiappetta • E-mail

Urijah Faber had just steamrolled to victory in his first pro mixed martial arts fight on November 13, 2003, when he realized he had an even more difficult task ahead of him: he had to tell his mother what he’d just done.

Although he was already 24 years old at the time, he knew being a fighter wasn’t going to go over well with mom, who had been purposely kept in the dark of his debut match. He had a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California-Davis, was an assistant coach on the wrestling team, and was raised in a holistic environment that puts a premium on physical and spiritual well being.

He thought about how to broach the subject, but knew he had to choose his words wisely.

Finally, the always-improvisational Faber settled on something.

“Mom, I just made 500 bucks in 45 seconds,” he announced.

Faber has always been a guy able to find his way out of difficult situations, into and out of the cage. In college, he was a walk-on to the UC-Davis wrestling team, yet eventually won a scholarship and still holds the school record for wins in a season (30) and career (92). As a pro, Faber is 20-1 and considered among the 10 best pound-for-pound fighters in the world by several reputable polls (the most recent NBCSports.com rankings had him at No. 10 worldwide). And his story of surviving a wild bar fight in Bali has become something of an underground MMA classic (hint: check YouTube).

Now, Faber takes on his biggest challenge to date when the WEC featherweight champion squares off with former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver on June 1 (the fight will be televised on Versus).

And the man who once hid his occupation from his mom will be headlining the card in his hometown of Sacramento, before thousands of screaming fans at Arco Arena.

“It means a lot, I’m so excited,” Faber said recently during a break from his training camp. “It’s something I’ve always looked forward to. When I first started fighting, it wasn’t like it is today with the acceptance and mainstream attention. It’s understood now. My mom’s come to understand I’m not doing something looked down upon; I’m doing something that’s celebrated. I can’t wait to perform. I can’t wait to fight Jens.”

Faber is something of an institution in his hometown. Though he was born in Isla Vista in Southern California, he soon moved to Sacramento, attended Carmichael Elementary School and high school in neighboring Lincoln. Today, he still lives in town and owns Ultimate Fitness, an MMA school that boasts among its students former NCAA wrestling champ and fellow WEC fighter Mark Munoz, who will be making his debut on the same June 1 card (“Hopefully you’ll see the beginnings of a superstar,” Faber says about Munoz). His local fame is credited with helping draw the biggest crowd in WEC history; over 10,000 are expected to attend the fight.

But while Faber has spent the majority of his life in one area, his fame has grown global. As a general rule, MMA’s most popular fighters come from the UFC or Japan, but Faber has been one of the few others to steal the spotlight. Out of the cage, he has a laid-back demeanor that’s earned him the nickname “The California Kid,” but inside of it, he is hyper-aggressive, continually launching assaults from positions both traditional and inconceivable. He uses his wrestling background as a base for his fighting, and has been able to take down most opponents at will, but in the years since he’s debuted, he’s rounded out his game with crisp standup and excellent jiu-jitsu.

In his last bout, in which he squared off with jiu-jitsu black belt Jeff Curran last December, Faber found himself in several troublesome scenarios. In one, Curran took his back, a precarious situation for any fighter, but even more dangerous against a fighter like Curran, a submission expert. For almost three minutes of the first round, Faber defended repeated choke attempts before innovating an escape. Using his right hand to push Curran’s leg away and create an opening, he immediately adjusted his hips and turned into Curran, leaving him in more favorable top position for the remainder of the round.

Then, in the second, Faber again outworked Curran on the mat, using a unique shoulder/leg lock that left WEC analyst Frank Mir at a loss for words in describing it. During the hold, Faber landed a punch that bloodied Curran’s nose. Minutes later, Faber was trapping Curran in a guillotine, besting the expert at his own game.

“You could look at my face during that situation and tell I wasn’t concerned,” Faber says of giving up his back to Curran. “I was just waiting for my opportunity to beat this guy up. All my preparation is in the gym. I put myself in every bad position you can think of and the goal is simple: find a way out. I try to learn the counter, and if not, I try to make something up. It’s not about the incremental part of the fight of each moment, it’s about winning in the end.”

Against Pulver, Faber faces an interesting test. The former UFC lightweight champion is naturally bigger, has fought in huge matches and isn’t likely to wilt under the main-event pressure.

Pulver (22-8) was a high school state wrestling champion in his home state of Washington, was later a junior college All-American before briefly wrestling for Boise State. But while Faber uses his wrestling to set up ground fighting, Pulver often uses his skills in reverse, to stop takedowns and keep the fight standing, where he boasts some of the most impressive knockout power in his weight class.

Faber recently spent time in Hawaii helping UFC lightweight champ B.J. Penn prepare to fight Sean Sherk, but interestingly, Faber says he didn’t do any fact-gathering about Pulver, who Penn has faced twice in his career.

“It was good to roll with B.J. and feel what he has to offer,” Faber says. “I was there to help him prepare. We talked about Jens a little, but the biggest thing he said was Jens hits hard. I don’t want to pick his brain on how I should fight. We’re way different fighters and different people.”

While Pulver is just four years older than Faber, the latter can distinctly remember watching the former fighting professionally before he ever entertained notions of fighting. Faber was a college undergrad at UC-Davis when he first saw Pulver fight in the UFC.

“I’ve always enjoyed watching him fight,” Faber said. “I remember rooting for the guy and being impressed with him. It means a lot to fight him. I’ve had people say, ‘Oh, you’re just being respectful to him.’ That’s not the case. It’s really heartfelt. If I don’t like someone and don’t think they’re a worthy opponent, I won’t sugarcoat it. He’s a real name in the sport.”

Should Faber win, that would make five successful title defenses and 12 straight victories overall dating back to his September 2005 loss to current UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin.

And the question he hears often is, what’s next? What other challenges await him in his 145-pound weight class, and would he be better off moving up or even moving down a division?

“I’d consider either,” he says. “It’s just got to be the right situation. Maybe for superfights that make sense. A champion vs. champion would be good. I’d love to fight Kid Yamamoto. Or Tyson Griffin. If you look back in history, with boxing, those superfights are classic battles. I think the sport is getting now to where they will start happening. I’d love to be part of one. That takes people knowing who I am and being interested.”

With his success and style, that seems assured. In his career, he’s had only two fights go the distance, and it hasn’t happened in 16 fights, an impressive record against strong competition.

“Some people look at fighting like a game, to win each round,” he says. “That’s not my goal. I don’t want to get a takedown and secure the round. That can get me into trouble. My intention is to end the fight. It’s always to end the fight. One person who thinks like me is Jens. If you look at our mentalities and the way we fight, we approach it the same way. That’s what’s going to make this fight exciting.”

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