Urijah's Back in Sac

Local cage fighting celebrity Urijah Faber is back in his hometown and lookin' to kick some ass this Sunday at Arco Arena!

But first... all the fighters were to meet up at Urijah's gym to spit some game and talk their opponent into a blood-thirsty frenzy! Oh, this match-up is gonna be one for the ages! Gonna kill his wife and eat his children!! Aaah!

Well... not quite. Something that's always impressed me about this sport is that even though these guys are gonna beat the ever-loving-hell out of each other, they are totally civil and respectful to one another. They're shaking hands, laughing, goofing around with one another... what the hell is going on? Am I the only one that remembers how boxing used to be? Those two were gonna kill each other! It was gonna be murder and mayhem!

Well, that's how boxing was, and perhaps that's why it's no longer much of a commercial draw. To be honest, I was never a boxing fan or much of a mixed martial arts fan. That is, until a year or two back when I was sent to Arco to interview Faber before his match with Jens Pulver, along with a handful of other WEC contenders.

I had no idea what I was doing or who any of these people were, but I did what I could. Since I'd met all the contenders, I watched the fight on tv... and it was pretty cool. After that, I knew a few names and would watch whenever I came across one of 'em fighting.

So, some time later, here I am again with these guys, who I now recognize... at least a little bit. I had watched Urijah fight a few more times, and I stroll past his gym in downtown Sacramento all the time, plus I occasionally drink one of his No Fear energy drinks. So this time around, I kinda thought it was pretty cool to be on the mat with him while he warmed up.

Not only that, but Mike Brown, the dude that beat him last time he fought in town, came strolling into his gym.

They beat the hell out of each other (twice), yet both were totally relaxed and laughing the whole time they were there. Weren't either of them gonna eat some children? What the hell?

I will say local boy Faber is a cool guy. Very easy-going and approachable, even though he has every right to be a total douchebag. To prove it, he even spent some time training with another local celebrity you might recognize...

I wouldn't call myself a fan of cage fighting, but any time I see this guy going at it, I'm sure to stop and watch because it's always an impressive feat of athleticism and sportsmanship. Plus he beats the hell outta people. I'll be watching this Sunday on Vs., and I encourage you to do the same.