The Sports Informant

Anyone who argues that Urijah Faber isn’t the reason the Sacramento mixed martial arts scene has exploded is a fool. Anyone living here the last five years, when MMA went from a brutal sideshow to a mainstream sport, watched the growth of “The California Kid,” a former UC Davis wrestler turned pro fighter, who dominated competition everywhere he went. The growth of Faber and the growth of the sport went hand in hand, and Sacramento became a hot spot because of the partnership between the two.

Urijah Faber is the reason Sacramento is an MMA hot spot. (Photo courtesy Kurt Garcia)

So as Faber prepares for Sunday’s rematch against Mike Brown for the World Extreme Cagefighting Featherweight Championship, it’s no surprise that it’s not just the biggest show in town — expected to possibly sell out Arco Arena — but one of the biggest shows in the nation.

If the NBA Finals were out of the picture, the most talked about weekend event could possibly be the WEC card that will be televised live on the Versus channel on June 7. Reporters from all over America are flying into Sacramento this weekend for various media events leading up to the fight. Even ESPN, the king of sports networks in the United States, a media outlet not typically covering MMA, has a feature article (which was on the home page this morning and now is not) promoting this weekend’s event.

We’ve seen open workouts with the main event fighters available for media coverage. We’ll see press conferences left and right showcasing the event card’s athletes. There’s even an autograph session open to the public the day before the fight (from 5:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium) including some of the sport’s top lightweight fighters.

And don’t forget about the weigh-ins. Often jam-packed and loud, the pre-fight weigh-ins have become a fan-filled spectacle in themselves. That will be Saturday, too, at 3 p.m. in the same place.

All in all, this fight is showing just how much the sport has grown. And in Sacramento, that growth should be synonymous with Faber. Everyone knows it, including Faber’s opponent, who enters with the belt but knows he’ll be in hostile territory.

“They’ll think (because) it’s in Sacramento, ‘He’s the bad guy,’” Brown said in a conference call about how the fans in Arco will perceive him. “I was a bad guy when I fought Leonard (Garcia) in Texas. I’ve been the bad guy and I actually like it. When I’m booed, it almost makes me want to fight. It feels almost like someone is picking a fight with you. I can hear it, but I think once the gate shuts and the referee says fight, it’s all instinctive.”

Because Faber built this house, it’s up to him to defend it. He did so last year against Jens Pulver, but this fight seemingly has a lot more on the line. Coming off of a loss to Brown, Faber’s no longer the champ, and in front of a crowd that’s seen him as nothing but, expectations are high.

“This is something I’m used to,” Faber said of fighting in front of a big crowd at home. “I was always in the spotlight. Maybe not at this level, but I was in the newspaper in high school, on posters in college, and now I’m the face of this organization. It just motivates me. It’s great to have a great network of people. I feel the energy and the love and it makes me want to win.”

That’s good because there will be plenty of it resonating in Arco Arena.

At a recent autograph session (see featured video), several fans waiting in line were given an opportunity to say hello and pose for a photograph with Faber. Many thanked him for being an inspiration and for putting Sacramento on the map. But more than a few said a form of the same thing: “Just don’t get caught” and “You’ll get him this time.”

I’m sure he’s sick of hearing it, but mostly because it’s been echoing in his brain since the night he lost. He’s trying to stifle that voice, for now.

“One thing would be to not jump backwards into his heavy punch,” Faber laughed, explaining what he’d do different this time around. “Other than that, there are some small adjustments that I’ll make, nothing too serious. It’s not a preparation thing that messed me up for that. It was just a bad position I put myself in. I’m making sure I don’t make any mistakes. I want to be aggressive and let it all hang out like I do. I’m ready for a great fight.”

So is Sacramento, Urijah. It’s your house, and no one comes into your house and pushes you around.