SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- “The California Kid” had a Hollywood ending.
Former WEC featherweight champion and future Hall of Famer Urijah Faber had a storybook conclusion to his mixed martial arts career on Saturday night. The man who paved the way for fighters of lighter weights to thrive went out in in style at UFC on FOX 22.
Competing in the brand-new Golden 1 Center in his hometown, Faber dominated veteren Brad Pickett before an electric, celebratory crowd. The judges scores were 30-26 across the board for a unanimous decision.
“It’s such a surreal expeience man,” Faber said. “I love doing this, there’s nothing more exciting than this.”
Faber all but finished Pickett in an electrifying opening round. He dropped Pickett with a perfectly placed left hand, mounted him, and rained down punch of after punch. Pickett somehow survived the 10-8 round, but came out of it with a nasty hematoma for his troubles.
The pace slowed in the second, but it was still all Faber. He went into the bout tied for the second most submissions in UFC/WEC history with 12, and seemed a bit preoccupied with hunting for the submission.
In the final round, Faber again dropped Pickett, landed several big punches from top position, and again went for subs, but Pickett was plucky until the end and went the distance. Faber got a standing ovation from the crowd as the seconds wound down.
“Thanks to Brad Pickett, what a warrior,” Faber said. “Thanks to the UFC, everything went so quickly and I appreciate everything. I’ve got my team coming up, Paige, and Cody Garbrandt. Sactown I love you.”
Faber finishes with a career record of 34-10, going 4-3 over his final seven fights. Pickett drops to 25-13 with five losses in his past six.