Following a gritty performance against WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown at WEC 41 this past weekend, Urijah Faber is still hungry to get back inside the cage.

In a fight that saw The California Kid lose weapon after weapon — first he broke his right hand, followed by what appeared to be an injury to his left — Faber refused to throw in the towel, opting to throw elbows and kicks instead.

We had the chance to catch up with the former champion the day after the fight. While a loss never feels good — nor does a broken hand — Faber’s positive spirit remained intact.

First, I appreciate all the support from fans. I tried to do my thing out there. I burst out of the gates, and after my hand broke, I just tried to gut it out. I knew my hand was broken right away. I put it down by my hip, said fuck it, and started throwing kicks.

One of those kicks led to a Faber slip, resulting in the fighter taking himself down. Brown quickly capitalized.

Soon after I slipped and fell. On the ground I realized I wouldn’t be able to grapple with my hand. After the round I told my Muay Thai instructor that my hand was broken, and he said, ‘Shut up … you’re a champion in your heart,’ which got my mind back in the fight. From there, I was in survival mode.

read full article…