Urijah Faber — known throughout combat sports as "The California Kid" — built one of the most celebrated careers in mixed martial arts history before channeling that competitive drive into grappling. A UFC Hall of Famer and founder of Team Alpha Male, Faber pioneered both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions during his professional MMA run, earning a reputation for relentless pressure, takedown-based offense, and a fighting spirit that made him a fan favorite across multiple eras of the sport.

His influence extended well beyond his own performances. Under his leadership, Team Alpha Male grew into a Sacramento-based powerhouse that developed numerous professional fighters, and his identity as a coach, mentor, and team builder became as defining as his competitive résumé.

Late in his career, Faber embraced submission grappling and hybrid rulesets, competing in formats that allowed him to blend his wrestling credentials with evolving competitive structures. His willingness to step into Combat Jiu-Jitsu exhibitions reflected a genuine curiosity for the sport's newer formats and a desire to remain active in combat sports long after his MMA retirement.

On January 30, 2026, Faber competed in a Combat Jiu-Jitsu exhibition against Francisco Rivera Jr at A1 Combat 33, held at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain. Contested at lightweight and scheduled for one 10-minute round, the match ended well before the time limit — Faber secured the victory via rear-naked choke at 3:42, a finish he dubbed "No Country for Old Men."

The Combat Jiu-Jitsu Ruleset

The bout marked Faber's third appearance under the Combat Jiu-Jitsu ruleset, a format he described as jiu-jitsu wrestling with palm strikes and slaps woven into the action. Open-hand strikes are permitted under the rules, while backhands and closed-fist strikes are not. Faber credited Eddie Bravo with popularizing the format, which has gained traction as a bridge between traditional submission grappling and striking-based combat sports.

Rivalry Context

The matchup with Rivera carried weight beyond its grappling context, renewing a rivalry rooted in their December 2014 meeting at UFC 181. Revisiting that history under a different competitive format added a personal dimension to what might otherwise have been a straightforward exhibition. Faber's decisive finish underscored that his competitive edge remained fully intact.

Following his performance at A1 Combat 33, Faber extended his late-career competitive exploration into yet another discipline by stepping onto the wrestling mat. On February 28, 2026, he faced Henry Cejudo in a Real American Freestyle Wrestling match at RAF 06, held at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona.

The Outcome

The result was decisive and one-sided. Cejudo defeated Faber by a score of 11-0 via technical fall — a margin that reflected the gap in wrestling-specific credentials between the two competitors. A former Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, Cejudo brought a level of technical precision to the mat that proved unmanageable within a pure wrestling framework.

Discipline and Context

The matchup illustrated the distinct demands of freestyle wrestling compared to submission grappling or MMA, where Faber's broader skill set historically allowed him to blend wrestling with other tools. Competing against one of the sport's most decorated wrestlers — in a ruleset that rewards pure technical wrestling — represented a significant and honest challenge. The outcome highlighted just how specialized elite-level freestyle wrestling remains, even for accomplished veterans of combat sports.