Urijah Faber talks 'Full Contact Skydiving' hoax
Dang it, and we were just about to buy that skydiving course package. About a month ago we brought you video footage of UFC featherweight contender Urijah Faber's newest supposed venture - Full Contact Skydiving.
The video showed Faber coaching professional skydivers in the new combat sport, teaching them how to kick, punch and choke mid-air, while hurtling towards the earth at break-neck speeds. Turns out the sport was too good to be true, as the follow-up video above reveals.
The whole production (including masterfully done and hilarious website) was an elaborate hoax to promote Faber's sponsor Amp energy drink. We caught up with "The California Kid" to talk about the experience of shooting those videos.
"It was a lot of fun to do," Faber tells Cagewriter.
Faber and the rest of the crew used a skydiving simulator to practice their crazy flying fight moves. And, though the fighter isn't sold on skydiving yet, he does want to get his hands on one of those simulators for himself.
"I’ve never skydived," Faber says.
"I don’t know if I have it in me. It seems like too much of a risk without a reward. Believe it or not, I’m not much of a risk taker. But I loved getting into the simulators with these guys. The pro skydivers are amazing athletes and they can do so much. I have to look into getting one of those for myself/"
In actuality, Faber didn't choreograph the Full Contact Skydiving moves. he did, however, do a ton of improvising to come up with some of the more inventive and funny lines.
"I had to come up with the names of moves," he says.
"There was a lot of improvising. It was a blast."
Faber says he's relieved to officially put the fun sham to rest. After all, who likes having to lie to their own grandmother?
"I’m glad they revealed that it wasn’t real," he says.
"It was fun keeping the secret but also kinda hard. I had to even keep the secret from my grandmother. I was surprised she even heard about this – she’s an elderly Dutch immigrant and doesn’t follow all this stuff – but I guess someone mentioned it to her and she called me all worried about my safety [laughs]."
Don't worry, grandma Faber. Your grandson is squarely back in the safe world of professional fighting.
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