Urijah Faber Reveals He Is Still Under Contract With The UFC & Gets Drug Tested: 'The Only Way I'm Gonna Fight Is...'

Urijah Faber recently revealed his surprising contract situation with the UFC right now. 

"The California Kid" hasn't stepped into the Octagon since December 2019 at UFC 245. There, he lost via third-round KO opposite Petr Yan after an explosive head kick. 

The 44-year-old MMA veteran has largely been assumed to be at least semi-retired at this point. However, the former WEC featherweight champion will return to competition at A1 Combat 21 on May 25. The event will be screened on UFC Fight Pass. 

With this in mind, the chances of him competing in the UFC again might be greater than first expected...

'You Never Know' - Urijah Faber On Potential UFC Return

On a recent episode of the JAXXON Podcast, Faber was asked about the validity of rumors concerning him boxing TJ Dillashaw in the near future.

Faber revealed he's actually still under contract with the UFC, and would have to get UFC CEO Dana White's approval.  

"I'm under contract with the UFC, so unless Dana says, 'Go do something,' I can't do anything," Faber revealed. "I still get tested. I've never done any drugs my whole- any P-whatever-they-call-it [PEDs]."

Faber was then asked if he still gets paid while under contract if he's not fighting. "The California Kid" confirmed he does not receive any pay from the UFC unless he's competing. 

However, he's still interested in fighting for them, revealing that he has only continued to be under contract and undergo drug testing on the possibility that he could take on a short-notice fight for good money if the opportunity arises. 

"No, but I still- just in case I want to, you never know," Faber said. "I'm under contract. If for some reason someone drops out and my name's thrown in there, I can't jump in if I'm not getting drug-tested for another five-six months. The only way I'm gonna fight is on short notice for a bunch of money, for fun. And I don't do drugs anyway, so it doesn't bother me if they test me. So I stay in the testing just in case something pops up so that I can always seize and opportunity."