SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- It’s been the quickest, cheapest knock on the career of Urijah Faber: People, usually new on the MMA bandwagon, dismiss Faber’s record in championship matches in an attempt to run down his legacy.
But while he came up short in several UFC title challenges, Faber was, in fact, a world champion during his heyday. Faber held the WEC featherweight championship for more than 2-1⁄2 years from early 2006 until November 2008 as the company exploded onto the national spotlight at the height of the MMA boom.
That belt was the direct lineal descendant of the 145-pound belt recently held by Conor McGregor, and which was worn for six years and will once again be defended by Jose Aldo.