By Tony Reid

FloCombat: If you could choose one fight from your career that every MMA fan should see, which fight would you choose?
Urijah Faber: One epic fight from my career was against Jens Pulver. It was an intense, five-round fight. I also fought a guy I looked up to; a former UFC world champion. He had wins over BJ Penn and guys of that level. It was the first time I was a part of a huge countdown show. It was at a huge stadium, so that was a big one for me. I think it showed people things they hadn't seen from me in a fight before.

My most difficult opponent was Jose Aldo. He was bigger than I was, and had a skill set that was a bad matchup for me with some brutal leg kicks. I felt like he was a very well-rounded fighter. 

If you could fight anyone in any weight class, who would you fight and why?
Many people still consider Anderson Silva the best of all time. He's a guy I'd like to go against if I was in his weight class.

So you think Anderson is most likely the G.O.A.T?
This sport I so new; I haven’t had the time to sit back and think who the best fighter ever might be. As far as win streaks go, it’s Anderson Silva. I don’t think he’s quite as well-rounded as some of the fighters out there, though. BJ Penn has done some really cool things in the sport. He's competed and won championships at different weight classes at the highest level of the sport. But he's also not taken the sport seriously at times, too.

I think Dan Henderson is right up there—he's probably the most mentally tough guy in the history of the sport. His skill set, plus his mindset, plus his genetic makeup and athleticism—the guy is special. He’s not flashy, and he doesn’t stand out in that sense, but when you get to know him, you know he is the mentally toughest guy that has ever touched the sport.

If you weren’t a professional mixed martial artist, what would you do for a living?
I've never been a big planner. I would be some sort of business owner. I would be involved in wrestling in some way. Probably as a wrestling coach. I might be involved in the construction world. I like business, and I like working hard.

As a fan of the sport who are your favorite fighters?
I've always been a fan of Nick Diaz. I've known him for a long time, and he's a guy that's been misunderstood. He's just not very good with the public or in the public eye. The way he fights is what fighting is all about, though. I really like watching him; he's a guy I make sure I catch when he fights.

I also like Kazushi Sakuraba. I liked the fact that he came from a wrestling background. I like his attitude in the cage. He was always an entertainer and had a lot of fun in there. You could see he really enjoyed what he was doing. He always thought outside the box—he was doing double-fisted jump punches when he fought Royce Gracie. Gracie was wearing the gi and Sakuraba was toying with Royce. That was a great fight.

What is the most amazing thing you have seen in the growth of MMA since the beginning of your career?
The push for FOX to be the partner of the UFC was huge. I was always a big football fan; I played since I was a little kid. To hear that FOX music alongside the UFC fights was kinda surreal.

A lot of the people that were superstars to me as a kid—MC Hammer, Roy Jones Jr., Mike Tyson and Anthony Kiedis—they were almost mythical to me. Now, to have these guys ringside at a lot of the fights is really eye opening, too.

You are a good-looking dude who has been a poster boy at every point in your career. Do you get any celebrity resemblances?
Because of the chin, I get a young John Travolta. You know what happens to me a lot? I have people tell me “You look just like Urijah Faber.” A lot of times, people do that to start a conversation, but I've actually had some people walk away from the conversation thinking I look like Urijah Faber.