UFC Legend Urijah Faber Shares Plans to Join Forces With Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz

Getty Nate Diaz

Former multiple-time UFC title challenger and WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber wants to co-promote a fight event with Nate Diaz.

Faber (35-11), who hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since UFC 245 in December 2019, recently established his MMA promotion A1 Combat. “The California Kid’s” first event is set to go down on May 1 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Sacramento, California. Two more mixed martial arts cards are scheduled for the end of the month as well, on May 28 and 29.

Faber’s A1 Combat will stream exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

And The California Kid isn’t just planning on hosting cards in Sacramento. He plans on A1 Combat traveling south to Stockton, California, Diaz’s hometown. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Faber confirmed that he already has a venue for a future event in Stockton and that he’d love to “do something” with Diaz.

“(Diaz) was in Hawaii last when I spoke with him,” Faber said via the outlet. “We were waiting to get on the phone and talk details, but we’re already scheduled. We have a venue in Stockton that we’ve got locked down. I’d love to do something with Nate. He seems really open to it. I just have to nail out the details with him on what that’s going to look like.

“Moving forward, if he wants to do anything in the future, I’d love to do something with him. People don’t know that I’ve been friends with Nick and Nate since 2004ish. There’s always that connection, so we’ll see. We’ll see what he wants to do but I think it makes sense.”


Faber Sees A1 Combat Getting ‘Big Quick’

During the interview, Faber outlined some trials of fight promotion, while sharing his plans for A1 Combat’s future.

I think the biggest thing is California makes it difficult to do business,” Faber said. “That’s one. It’s expensive and you have to jump through a bunch of hoops. People that want to be in this space are not always the most savvy when it comes to business. Putting together the perfect storm is the key. Timing is another thing. A lot of people have held shows and it’s just not been something that’s wet the whistles when it comes to putting money in the bank. You have to have a passion above that and then also have to understand how to do business. That’s the key.

“… Honestly, it’s going to get big quick. I can already feel it, the way things are going. We sold out our first show before we even announced it. I know it’s a small venue, but this is the first at-bat under this banner along with UFC Fight Pass and an amazing venue like the Hard Rock. I can just feel it’s going to do really well. … I’ve got friendships with CFFC and LFA and Cage Warriors. Those guys have all been contacts of mine and they do a great job and I want to bring that to our region and beyond.”


Faber Fought the Who’s Who of His Generation

Faber is one of the most popular lighter-weight fighters ever, challenging for the UFC bantamweight title on three separate occasions after holding the now-defunct WEC 145-pound belt.

He fought some of the biggest names of his generation, including Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Jens Pulver and Mike Brown.

The 42-year-old combatant hasn’t committed to retirement, and he recently shared that a bout with Cub Swanson would be “meaningful.”

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