Urijah Faber is set for an unlikely return to competition Saturday, when the 46-year-old is scheduled to wrestle Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 8 in Philadelphia. The matchup pairs a former MMA title contender who spent most of his career in the 145-pound and 135-pound divisions with a 29-year-old UFC lightweight who usually walks around in the 180-pound range.
Faber told Uncrowned this week that his first reaction was simple: “Are you guys sure you want me to wrestle him?” He said Tsarukyan has a distinct size advantage and a youth advantage, but added that wrestling is fun for him and not some difficult task. “It’s the type of sport that allows you to jump into a situation where the odds are stacked against you, but it’s not a problem,” Faber said.
The bout comes seven years after Faber’s MMA career ended with a knockout loss to Petr Yan in 2019, and it arrives after RAF initially expected him to face Cayden Henschel before shifting the booking. RAF wanted Henschel to move instead to a match against former PFL champion Lance Palmer, leaving Faber with Tsarukyan, one of the more polarizing names in the field.
That friction is part of the backdrop at Real American Freestyle, which has drawn attention from both freestyle wrestling purists and fight fans. Faber said he never got “the warmest vibe” from Tsarukyan and described him as someone who does not seem especially nice, though he said he is still looking forward to any pre-match interaction. “I’m not the kind of guy that’s going to let people punk me or push me around either,” he said. “But I’ll probably bring my mouthpiece just in case.”
For Faber, the appeal is less about the odds than the opportunity. He said he was a late bloomer in wrestling and has learned that belief in his own skill set matters more than size, age or the usual expectations attached to a matchup like this. Saturday will show whether that confidence carries over when the whistle blows in Philadelphia.