The Laws of the Ring
Page 25
Lincoln Colts, seventh and eighth grade. We moved from downtown Sacramento to the small town of Lincoln when I was in seventh grade.
I always looked up to Ryan. He beat me in the muscle category when I was in eighth grade.
Eighth-grade graduation with a hand-me-down shirt.
Happy to have our new baby sister, Michaella.
One of many bloody lips.
The Faber boys at Ryan’s high school graduation.
Senior year in high school.
Senior year in college.
RANDY MARTIN, MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY
Senior year in college with Ryan, my longtime girlfriend Michelle, and Michaella.
With Michelle, the day after my first loss to Tyson Griffin.
At the afterparty with my mom, after the first Pulver fight. She has never been to a live event, but she will hang out afterward.
After a BBQ on the block with some of the top dogs on the team. (From left to right:) Joseph; Chad; my business partner, Matt Fisher; my first training partner, Dustin; the wild man from Thailand, Master Thong; UFC fighter and childhood friend Danny Castillo. MT’s shirt is something else.
TRACY LEE
Private workout at UFC 139 in San Jose. Skinny and still seven pounds over but feeling good.
JAMES LAW
Cruising the streets of Sacramento after my victory over Jens. UFC fighter Clay Guida decided to join me on the roof. Joseph, Dustin, and Master Thong were along as well.
TRACY LEE
With Jens Pulver and his wife, after I fought him at Arco Arena. Big point in my career. First hometown fight in front of a big crowd. Jens was always one of my favorite fighters.
TRACY LEE
Street-legal dune buggy. I’d always wanted one of these. Best impulse buy yet.
TRACY LEE
Matt Sanchez borrowing my head (which a fan had airbrushed). We were having fun at the gym before Sanchez was a businessman, Chad was a contender, and Danny was a staple in the UFC. That’s me with the Alpha Male hat covering my face.
Taking good care of the infamous cleft chin. Getting greased up.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Out back of the Colusa Casino, trying to stay warm. Rough bunch of peers.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Shadowboxing in my room. I still have a habit of doing that. Photos of my family and friends on the wall as well as some funny pictures.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Just felt right. Coming into the cage for the first time. Mark Munoz, my buddy Virgil, and Cassio Werneck were in my corner.
JEFF HUTCHENS
I was so pumped after the big win over Jay Valencia. I was the only one in the arena that knew for sure that I was going to win.
JEFF HUTCHENS
In the coaches’ locker room at UC Davis. I’m sure it had been a long day, since I was working three jobs and training in between.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Back when shoes were allowed in fights, as well as knees to a grounded opponent. Times have changed in MMA.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Walking in the ring before my first fight. I found the Santa Cruz beanie while working in the grounds department at UC Davis.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Working up a sweat in my tiny apartment. Seems like I was always visualizing my first fight.
JEFF HUTCHENS
Escorting Michaella, who was homecoming princess, during her senior year at Santa Barbara High School. My stepdad, Tom, was out of the country at the time and I was happy to step in.
DAN LINDSAY
Red Robinson, the street-smart version of Einstein. He’s a hustler!
The Team on the Block: Poppies is proud of his new physique. My brother, Ryan, is flexing in the back. Tommy and two of Alaska’s finest, Justin Buchholz and Eddie Hoch.
Joseph getting used to the media. He was still driving his 1986 Lincoln Continental, his prized possession. He loved that car.
Some of Poppies’s hometown buddies with Team Alpha Male at his wedding.
Best man at Poppies’s wedding. I was honored since he had twenty-eight groomsmen.
Best man at Dustin’s wedding. Driving him along with Dave and his lovely wife, Amy.
About to hit the town. Virgil, Sanchez, Poppies, Lance, Chad, Justin, Joseph, and the Team.
After a big win against Rafael Ascuncao. Three of my best friends ringside: Tommy on the left, Dustin on the right, and giving Dave a big hug. Long road from my first fight at Colusa Casino.
About the Author
URIJAH FABER is one of the most popular Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters in the world. A former featherweight champ in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), Urijah is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the UFC. He is the leader of Team Alpha Male, which fights out of his hometown of Sacramento, California.
www.urijahfaber.com
New York Times bestselling author TIM KEOWN most recently cowrote Rick Harrison’s License to Pawn, and was the cowriter of bestsellers Bad as I Wanna Be by Dennis Rodman and Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
Credits
Cover design by James Iacobelli
Cover photograph by Steve Sherman
Copyright
THE LAWS OF THE RING. Copyright © 2012 by Urijah Faber. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN: 978-0-06-211240-8
EPub Edition © JUNE 2012 ISBN: 9780062112422
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