Faber the Consummate Self-Promoter

John Morgan of MMAJunkie looks at how Urijah Faber has been able to parlay his childhood acting and drama experiences into a nearly peerless set of promotional skills.

While Faber’s athletic training has proved more than competent in his time with the organization, his comfort in the limelight shines through each and every time Faber is forced to the forefront of the WEC.

 

Those in attendance to the full range of activities surrounding this past week’s WEC 46 event in Faber’s hometown of Sacramento, Calif., saw Faber’s promotional skills on full display. From impassioned pleas to local media cameras for fans to come out and support the show to television-ready gulps – label facing forward, of course – of Amp, the WEC’s new official energy drink, Faber has perfected the art of promotion.

 

Faber said it’s an important tactic often overlooked, especially in a still-growing organization like the WEC.

 

“This is a sport where people give credit when they know someone,” Faber said. “Being so new, the WEC on TV with the lighter weights being in the limelight, guys that or fourth or fifth in the world haven’t had a chance to be out there.”

 

But Faber has been the star of the WEC since the promotion made its debut on Versus. Former bantamweight champ Miguel Torres and new featherweight title holder Jose Aldo have also climbed into the public’s consciousness, but Faber is undoubtedly the “face” of the WEC.

 

It’s also partly why Faber was granted a shot at Aldo – some would argue ahead of Mike Brown – and may end up fighting in front of a large, friendly crowd at his hometown ARCO Arena when he faces the Brazilian phenom.

Payout Perspective:

The key ingredient to super stardom in the fight game is simply fighting. All of the most popular fighters in the world have one thing in common: their ability to fight and entertain. No one fighter is exactly the same or exactly as good, but invariably its their strength in the area of MMA’s core product – fighting – that counts the most.

However, there are those like Faber that bring more than speed, power, and unpredictability to a promotion; men like Faber also bring the look, the charm, and an obvious comfort in front of the camera that endears them to the masses. That’s why Faber is getting a title shot ahead of an arguably more worthy Mike Brown.

All this talk about the demands of the sport increasing are true. Fighters must be completely well-rounded in this era of MMA in order to survive, and that includes the ability to self-promote and generate interest for their fights.