Health and skills are fine, but this is why Urijah Faber is retiring after UFC on FOX 22

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Urijah Faber still enjoys fighting, and he said his health and skills keep him competitive. So why is he calling it quits after Saturday’s UFC on FOX 22 event?

Faber (33-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC), a former WEC champion and multi-time UFC title challenger who’s No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, fights for the final time when he takes on Brad Pickett (25-12 MMA, 5-7 UFC) in a FOX-televised main-card bout at Golden 1 Center in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, Calif.

Faber previously announced his plan to retire following the event, where he looks to end a two-fight skid following losses to champ Dominick Cruz and contender Jimmie Rivera. Prior to the setbacks, 37-year-old Faber was on a 4-1 run and proved capable of hanging with the division’s 135-pound elite.

So, why call it quits now? For a fighter who’s parlayed his MMA notoriety into a string of other business ventures, the timing seemed right.

“I think without a doubt I’m physically where I need to be,” he told MMAjunkie. “The skill level is there.

“I think it’s just the emotion has been different as of late. It’s not a bad thing. It’s just that I’m immune to it, and I’ve always done this thing for the experience. I still enjoy it, but it’s just not the same. And I have a lot of other irons in the fire. It’s like risk (vs.) reward. It’s a very difficult life in here grinding everyday, fighting these young cats.”

Plus, Faber said, he wants to get out before it’s too late and he becomes another MMA cautionary tale. He still loves the sport, but “if I don’t call it quits at sometime, I’m going to keep doing it. It’s too easy and too fun (to keep going). It makes sense to focus on another direction and make a clean cut when I’m still in my prime and a place that I love and can evoke some real emotion out of it.”

Check out the full conversation, including his thoughts on fighting in Sacramento and Faber’s friendly relationship with opponent Pickett, above.

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