Urijah Christopher Faber (born May 14 , 1979 in Isla Vista, California) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a featherweight for World Extreme Cagefighting, wherein he is the world featherweight champion.
Biography
Faber was born on May 14, 1979, in the college town of Isla Vista, California, a small town bordering University of California, Santa Barbara, and raised in Sacramento, California. Faber was born at home with the help of a midwife and raised holistically, his parents refusing immunization shots. To this day Faber has scarcely used conventional medicine and has maintained a lifestyle of healthy dieting and exercise habits. Faber attended high school in Lincoln, a small town of about 8,000 people, where he was a standout athlete.

Athletics have been a part of Faber's life since an early age, where he spent much of his childhood and teen years participating in football, roller hockey, and wrestling. After a successful high school career as a wrestler in Lincoln, California, Faber continued his wrestling along with his academics at the University of California, Davis.

Although he did not enter college with a scholarship, he was awarded one after his freshman year on the wrestling team. The following year he was the starting 133 lb. wrestler for UC Davis, a spot that remained his for the rest of his collegiate career. While wrestling in college, Faber became the all-time win leader for UC Davis and a two-time NCAA Division I (D-1) qualifier, finishing in the top 12 in 2002. In freestyle wrestling, Faber competed in the University Nationals where he was a national runner-up, becoming the true alternate for the University Nationals World Team. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development, Faber stayed on staff at UC Davis as the lightweight wrestling coach and began his MMA career.
Mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts was a sport that had intrigued Faber from an early age. He was always interested in all full-contact sports, and quickly found a fascination with MMA when the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) hit the mainstream in 1994. Faber was impressed with the early UFC stars such as Royce Gracie and David "Tank" Abbott, and later found role models in the sport in Mark Coleman, Tito Ortiz, and Randy Couture. Just out of college, Faber began to pursue fighting in a local organization. After only one month of Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) training and no formal striking preparation, Faber entered and won his first fight in November 2003.

In high school and college wrestling, Faber was known for his conditioning, relentless attack, and an iron will: these traits became his trademark in the MMA game. After only his second fight the promoters of the Gladiator Challenge realized the marketability of the clean-cut, baby-faced college grad and he was offered his first title fight at 145 lbs.

After attaining the Gladiator Challenge belt in June 2004, Faber continued to defeat competition and won the King of the Cage World title in November that year. Faber suffered his first defeat in a hard-fought battle in September 2005 against UFC lightweight Tyson Griffin, but bounced back to win six-consecutive bouts and a third world championship belt from the World Extreme Cagefighting organization in March 2006. He trained his striking with world champion Dave Marinoble, and furthered his Brazilian jiu-jitsu training with teammate and mentor, BJJ world champion Cassio Werneck.

He is currently working with Andy Kay, a Muay Thai specialist from Thailand, and Joe Urias, a California native specializing in boxing, and continues to study under Cassio Werneck.

After a recent victory he called out K-1 HERO'S 2005 middleweight (154 lb) tournament champion Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.

Faber's most recent fight was against Chance Farrar at WEC 28. Faber won by rear naked choke to remain the WEC's featherweight champion. Faber is scheduled to defend his WEC Featherweight belt against jiu jitsu black belt Jeff Curran on December 12th, 2007