Urijah Faber is really excited about the emergence of Real American Freestyle (RAF).
The UFC Hall of Famer sees the new wrestling league as an ‘amazing opportunity’ for athletes to pursue a professional career in the ancient sport.
Urijah Faber is excited to see if RAF can go from a side hustle for UFC stars to a viable option for amateur wrestlers, who until now have been forced away from grappling due to a lack of financial opportunities.
Urijah Faber praises Real American Freestyle
Urijah Faber wrestled at the NCAA Division I level for the University of California before transitioning to MMA.
The 46-year-old might have stayed in his first sport if Real American Freestyle were around two decades ago.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Faber said when asked about the emergence of RAF by Bloody Elbow.
“The wrestling world is a very tight-knit community, and we’ve done this for years and years and years for free just outta a passion that we’ve had.
“This has been tried before, but it hasn’t really been successful ever. I think the difference now is that wrestling is held on a pedestal. You’ve got all the experts in the world saying the graces of wrestling and its role in mixed martial arts. It’s created some of the biggest stars on the planet when it comes to mixed martial arts.”
‘The California Kid’ believes RAF has an opportunity to create a whole new career path for up-and-coming wrestlers.
“I think it’s time now that there is a real opportunity for some of these amateur wrestlers, who are some of the baddest dudes on the planet, to have a real avenue for a professional route to make a career as an athlete,” Faber added.
“I’m curious about the progression of this thing. Is it going to be purely on the back of the UFC building these stars and then pulling guys outta that, or is it going to stand on its own legs?
“I definitely feel like there have been some key components that the UFC has implanted that these guys, that are business savvy and passionate about wrestling, [have] implemented to try to make this work.
“I’m excited for it, and I’m glad to do my part by participating before it’s too late for a guy like me.”
Do you agree with Urijah Faber?
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Urijah Faber vs Henry Cejudo is set for RAF 06
Urijah Faber will compete at RAF 06, which will take place inside Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena on Saturday night.
He’ll square off against former dual-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo in the main event of the evening.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan will also feature on the stacked 12-bout card.
RAF 06 full line-up
- Henry Cejudo vs. Urijah Faber
- Arman Tsarukyan vs. Georgio Poullas
- David Carr vs. Bubba Jenkins
- Zahid Valencia vs. Mahmoud Fawzy Sebie
- Andrew Alirez vs. Bryce Meredith
- Tajmuraz Salkazanov vs. Keegan O’Toole
- Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov vs. Evan Wicke
- Givi Matcharashvili vs. Stephen Buchanan
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Benson Henderson
- Jordan Oliver vs. Beau Bartlett
- Clay Guida vs. Keelon Jimison
- Lucía Yépez Guzmán vs. Everest Leydecker
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