 Faber was an NCAA wrestler.With his excellent base in wrestling, he later started Brazilian jiu-jitsu and quickly gained a brown belt under Fábio "Pateta" Prado.Faber won the WEC Featherweight Championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006, and held the title for over two years until losing it to Mike Brown at WEC 36 on November 5, 2008.