“The California Kid” knows the challenge in front of him — and he’s embracing it.
Former three-time UFC title challenger and Hall of Famer Urijah Faber headlines RAF 6 this weekend (Sat., Feb. 28, 2026) against former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo inside Mullett Arena at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
On paper, it’s a daunting matchup. Cejudo captured Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling at just 21 years old, becoming the youngest American to do so at the time,
before going on to claim UFC titles at Flyweight and Bantamweight.
Faber isn’t blind to the optics.
“Henry is a guy that is going to come to win, and I’ve got to find all sorts of ways to spin it of how I’m going to win,” Faber told RAF in a recent interview. “I think the odds are stacked against me — he’s younger than I am, an Olympic gold medalist. I’ve had success in wrestling, but it is not the same. He might think this is going to be easy, but I think I can beat him.”
While Cejudo’s credentials are undeniable, Faber believes experience and evolution could be equalizers.
“As I’ve gotten further into my grappling career, I’ve gotten trickier,” he said. “It’s one thing to be a young guy in the best shape of his life who wants to break people. I was a pressure guy, not afraid to take chances. I won’t be a guy who shoots a low single on Henry, but I’ll definitely try to throw him on his head.”
Faber (35-11) hasn’t competed in MMA since his knockout loss to Petr Yan at UFC 245 in 2019 (watch highlights), but he has remained active in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and combat jiu-jitsu competition (watch here). Cejudo, meanwhile, last appeared at UFC 323, retiring after a loss to Payton Talbott.
Now, two decorated veterans collide — with Faber fully aware he’ll need to believe before he achieves.
For the rest of the RAF 6 card here.
