Retirement awaits: UFC-WEC vet Urijah Faber says next fight will be his last

“The California Kid” will soon be a retired man.

Urijah Faber, a longtime WEC and UFC fighter, today announced via “The MMA Hour” that his next fight will be his last (via Twitter):

Faber’s farewell fight comes in a fitting location. As recently announced, 37-year-old Faber (33-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC) meets fellow bantamweight Brad Pickett (25-12 MMA, 5-7 UFC) at UFC on FOX 22. The event takes Dec. 17 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif. – Faber’s longtime home – and airs on FOX following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass, though the bout order hasn’t been finalized.

Faber (33-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC), who’s No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, will fight for the 44th and final time since his 2003 pro debut.

Faber is a former featherweight champion of the WEC, a West Coast promotion that operated from 2001-2010 and became the premiere home for lighter-weight fighters. It was eventually acquired and merged with the UFC. Faber was arguably the defunct promotion’s biggest star, and he headlined many of its most successful events.

The fan and media favorite, who currently operates the Sacramento-based Team Alpha Male camp, is a solid 9-6 since joining the UFC, though he’s come up short in four bantamweight title fights for the promotion. In his most recent title shot, he suffered a unanimous-decision loss to longtime rival Dominick Cruz (watch their trash-talking highlights above). In his subsequent fight, he suffered a decision loss to Jimmie Rivera at UFC 203 in September.

The former University of California at Davis wrestler and Gladiator Challenge titleholder owns the record for the most title defenses in WEC history with five. He also picked up eight fight-night bonuses with the WEC, as well as three with the UFC. His nine wins in UFC-bantamweight competition are also a record.

For more on UFC on FOX 22, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.