UFC 199: Urijah Faber looks to dethrone Dominick Cruz Saturday at The Forum

SACRAMENTO >> Four days after his birthday, Urijah Faber was among a select few being serenaded following a grueling workout at his Ultimate Fitness gym.

In less than three weeks, Faber would be making the walk to the Octagon at UFC 199 at The Forum in Inglewood for arguably the biggest fight of his storied career.

At stake June 4?

Dethroning bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz. Gaining bragging rights in the third tussle with his longtime rival. Quieting the doubters and critics. Finally wiing UFC gold for the first time in four tries.

“I’ve been a champion for a lot of years. I’ve also been a contender for a lot of years,” the former Gladiator Challenge, King of the Cage and WEC champ said. “I’ve been in big fights for my entire career so it seems natural to me. It doesn’t make sense to me to not be in title fights, and getting the strap from Dominick is goa be icing on the cake.”

Yet on this Wednesday, birthday cake was not an option. In its place were small halved watermelons, each with a lighted candle.

• Photos: UFC bantamweight Urijah Faber trains for UFC 199

Welcome to life at 37 for “The Califoia Kid.”

Most days, the entrepreneur is as devoted to his many businesses as he is to his craft.

For the first time in his hectic career, after years of getting by just being mindful of his diet, Faber is taking supplements.

“Been doing some real basic stuff that guys have already been doing,” said Faber, who mentioned he now takes Branched Chain Amino Acids as soon as he walks off the mat. “In addition to being a lifelong health-conscious, healthy-living guy, I feel like it’s given me a big edge.”

MMA is not forgiving for veterans of the sport. As fighters venture into their 30s, sometimes the devolution from fight to fight can be jarring.

Team Alpha Male coach Justin Buchholz has seen the benefits.

“All the science, he’s never done that. So we just took him back 10 years,” the former UFC lightweight said. “This is the 27-year-old Faber, ready to kill somebody, you know?”

Therefore, in the eyes of Faber and his fans, whom better than Dominick Cruz?

Faber chuckles when asked what that name means to him.

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“You don’t get warms or fuzzies, that’s for sure,” Faber said. “I’ve had to be around the guy quite a bit. It is what it is at this point. I just ... Dominick Cruz? Those are fighting words to me.”

It’s impossible to tell the history of the lighter weight classes in MMA without mentioning pioneers like Faber (33-8) or Cruz (21-1).

In 2007, Faber defended his WEC featherweight title for the second time by submitting Dominick Cruz by guillotine choke in just one minute, 38 seconds, handing Cruz his only loss to date.

Four years later, WEC had merged with the UFC and Faber had dropped down to the 135-pound division, where Cruz was now champion. At UFC 132, Cruz eaed a unanimous decision in the rematch by scores of 50–45, 49–46, 48–47.

In the five years since, Cruz has had three fights, endured three ACL reconstruction surgeries and a to quadriceps muscle and was stripped of his title. In his last fight, however, he reclaimed the bantamweight belt in January with a unanimous-decision victory over former Faber protege T.J. Dillashaw.

Faber, meanwhile, has gone 9-3 in the UFC, two of the losses in title fights against Renan Barao, the other at 145 pounds against former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.

Cruz is among those to wonder whether Faber is deserving of the title shot at UFC 199, which Faber dismisses.

“I’ve fought twice as much as that guy in the same amount of time we’ve been fighting. Who’s been eaing the spot? He talks about he always fights top competition. Who?” Faber said. “I’ve lost to six guys my entire career. He hasn’t fought one of them.

“His biggest win is probably (current UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson), who’s a 125-pounder, and T.J., who was my teammate for eight years who I’ve brought up. So people are smoking crack.”

But it’s Dillashaw whom Cruz invokes when poking Faber. He alleges Faber feared fighting his star pupil, even mocking his age.

“It would ruin the ego of Urijah Faber, which is HUGE. To lose to his grandson, he couldn’t handle that kind of loss. It would ruin him,” Cruz said. “So I went in there and did it for him and now he’s facing me.”

Faber simply laughs it off. He’s having the time of his life.

The way he sees it, no better opportunity and no better opponent.

“I just tued 37, I feel amazing. I think he’s 31, looks like he feels like crap, so, you know?” Faber said. “You never know what you’re goa get, but I’m looking for the win.”

UFC 199

• Saturday, June 4

• The Forum, Inglewood

• Main event: Middleweight champion Luke Rockhold (15-2) vs. No. 4 Michael Bisping (29-7)

• Co-main event: Bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (21-1) vs. No. 3 Urijah Faber (33-8)

• Main card: 7 p.m. (PPV)

• Prelims: 5 p.m. (Fox Sports 1)

• Early prelims: 3:15 p.m. (UFC Fight Pass)

The Faber File

• Name: Urijah Christopher Faber

• Nickname: The Califoia Kid

• Bo: May 14, 1979, in Isla Vista, Calif.

• Record: 33-8, 9-4 in UFC.

• Finishes: 17 by submission, 9 by KO.

• Ranked: No. 3 in UFC bantamweight division.

• Titles: Gladiator Challenge bantamweight champion (2004-06); King of the Cage bantamweight champion (2004-06); WEC featherweight champion (2006-08).