Urijah Faber: Real American Freestyle could be the breakthrough wrestlers have been waiting for
· Yahoo Sports
Urijah Faber can’t wait to see how Real American Freestyle (RAF) develops.
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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.
Now, with multiple UFC stars supporting the new project, there’s a pathway for grapplers who aren’t interested in taking or throwing punches.
Urijah Faber voices his support for Real American Freestyle
Before moving into MMA, Urijah Faber competed as a wrestler for the University of California at the NCAA Division I level.
If Real American Freestyle had been around twenty years ago, he might have never left his original sport.
Speaking to Bloody Elbow about the rise of RAF, Faber said: “It’s pretty amazing.”
“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 46-year-old thinks RAF could open up new career paths for young wrestlers just starting out.
“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 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 UFC has implanted that these guys, who are business savvy and passionate about wrestling [have] implemented to try to make this work.”
Faber also touched on how he feels getting involved was an important step while he still has something left in him physically.
Urijah Faber vs. Henry Cejudo headlines RAF 06
Urijah Faber is set to return to action at RAF 06, taking place at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena this Saturday night.
He’ll face off against former UFC dual-weight champion Henry Cejudo in the main event, while UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan will also be part of the 12-bout card.
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