Urijah Faber On How He Got Involved With "Green Rush", MMA Fighters Going Into Wrestling
UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber came out of retirement in 2019 but he hasn't shunned his outside projects either. One of those is a movie called Green Rush and Faber discussed how he got involved with that when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily podcast.
"I've got a production company and we have a bunch of projects we've been working on. We've built a really tight-knit team to get these first projects out to the public. But this one in particular was kinda exactly that. All these actors, writers, producers, directors, DPs are always looking for opportunity," Faber said before comparing Hollywood to MMA where you start small and local before moving to a bigger stage.
"It's all about who's attached and who's done what and it's a long process. We wanted to skip that so we took a bunch a talented writers, directors and producers and an amazing thing happened in a short time on a great budget. We made something that we can hold our heads high on and will open more business for us. This one in particular was for that purpose. We all loved the concept and worked hard to get it done."
He then talked more about the concept of the movie and what people can expect from it.
"It's kind of a slow-burn. It starts out building the storyline and once the action starts, it ramps up quick and gets very intense," revealed Faber. "It's the kind of movie where once you know the twists and turns, if you watch it a second time then you'll pick up a lot of the things you didn't the first time, which I love about the movie.
"It's a hot topic right now in marijuana and the perception of it is changing in the world with its availability, on the public side and on the business side. It made for a fun ? especially if you're in tune with the industry and being in California everybody's got some friends tied to that industry ? and it's pretty intriguing."
Faber got his start in amateur wrestling and competed in the sport in college before turning to MMA. Nowaday it seems that many MMA fighters like Cain Velasquez, Shayna Baszler and Matt Riddle are turning to pro wrestling.
Faber discussed MMA fighters making this jump to the squared circle.
"I'm sure it's a great option especially for fighters who have built a good brand and have that demographic, look and personality. I think it's awesome. It's the same type of work ethic and intensity. It's not as raw as MMA but they are still pro athletes and entertainers in a big company," said Faber. "So, as many opportunities as possible for the fighters out there, I love to see it.
Green Rush, from producer Urijah Faber, will be released on Digital on April 14th. Check out the trailer here. Faber's full interview with Wrestling Inc aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here.